Jammu: Around 12.30 pm Saturday, Dr Shivani Malhotra, 48, received the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Government Medical College Hospital here, marking the roll out of first phase of vaccination drive across Jammu and Kashmir.
“For me, the shot came as a ray of hope for normal life,’’ said Dr Shivani, a lecturer in Bio-Chemistry Department of the GMC and also working as Casualty Medical Officer in GMC Hospital. “Since a large number of patients visit GMC Hospital’s casualty daily and you never know as to who is going to infect you, she had been getting myself tested for COVID from time to time and also taking all the precautions at home,’’ she said. However, despite all the precautions, her daughter, who is also a doctor, was tested positive for COVID-19 once.
“So when I received a call from the office of GMC Principal that I have been shortlisted as one of the first ten people to be administered COVID vaccine, I immediately gave my consent as it was an opportunity for normal life,’’ she said. “Many people advised me not to offer muself myself as an experimental animals as not much was known about the vaccine, but I decided to get myself vaccinated,’’ she added.