First Indian-origin couple in the world gets COVID-19 vaccine in UK

As UK began one of the largest vaccination drives an Indianorigin couple in their 80s became one of the first few people to receive the recently approved coronavirus vaccineHari Shukla a 87yearold doctor and his 83yearold wife Ranjan Shukla from the north east of England became the first Indianorigin couple in the world to get the COVID19 shot after they were vaccinated at a hospital in NewcastleBefore the couple 90yearold Margaret Keenan and 81yearold William Shakespeare became the first two people to receive the first shots in one of Britains largest immunization programs an unprecedented global effort to try to end a pandemic that has killed millions of people alreadyHari Shukla a race relations campaigner based in Englands Tyne and Wear county was contacted by the National Health Service NHS based on the criteria set for the worlds first vaccine to receive regulatory approvals in the UK last weekHari Shukla and his wife Ranjan have become the first two patients at Newcastle Hospitals and two of the first people in the world to receive the COVID19 vaccine Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust saidShukla who was born in Kenya said Im so pleased we are hopefully coming towards the end of this pandemic and I am delighted to be doing my bit by having the vaccine I feel it is my duty to do so and do whatever I can to helpHaving been in contact with the NHS I know how hard they all work and the greatest respect for them they have a heart of gold and I am grateful for everything they have done to keep us safe during the pandemic he saidBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday said Today marks a huge step forward in the UKs fight against coronavirus as we begin delivering the vaccine to the first patients across the whole countryI am immensely proud of the scientists who developed the vaccine members of the public who took part in trials and the NHS who have worked tirelessly to prepare for rolloutBritish regulators approved the Pfizer vaccine on December 2 and the country has received 800000 doses enough to vaccinate 400000 peopleThe first shots are given to people over 80 years of age who are either hospitalized or already have outpatient appointments scheduled along with nursing home workers and vaccination staffThe 800000 doses are only a fraction of what is needed in the UK The government is targeting more than 25 million people or about 40 per cent of the population in the first phase of its vaccination program which gives first priority to those at highest risk from the virusKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever