Dr Devendra Kumar Makwana, 55, from Daman received the first shot against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in District Hospital Marwad in the Union Territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Dr Makwana made the cut because he has been working in the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 since March 2020 as a state immunisation officer (SEPIO) with the UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. He also has hypertension with ischemic heart disease, which raises his risk of developing severe COVID-19.
As a member of the immunization team, they have been preparing for the smooth rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Daman & Diu since September. He volunteered to be the first to be vaccinated to build vaccine confidence and send out a strong positive message to the health care workers and the community.
His motivation and excitement about getting vaccinated motivated several others, as did the fact that he developed no side effects after the vaccination.
“I want to request all health care workers and priority groups in the community to get vaccinated as the safety of the vaccine has been tested. Vaccinating everyone will help us end COVID-19,” said Dr Makwana. Several beneficiaries said he motivated them to get vaccinated without fear.
The second person to get the COVID-19 shot was Dr Bijal Kishor Kapadia, who is a clinician in the private sector and the president of the Daman chapter of the Indian Medical Association, which has urged its 350,000 members to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to allay fears over vaccine safety.
Around 1,000 health care workers will be vaccinated in Daman district, following which frontline workers and people above the age of 50 and those with comorbidities will get vaccinated.