Ranchi: A female sanitation worker, a frontline Covid warrior who worked at Ranchi’s sadar hospital through the pandemic, became the first person to receive the Covishield vaccine in Jharkhand on Saturday.
“It feels good. I was elated when I was told that I have been selected for the first phase of the vaccination drive. However, I had no idea I would be the first person in the state to get inoculated,” said Mariyam Guriya (29), moments after was injected with 0.5ml dose of the vaccine developed by Serum Institute Of India (SII), Oxford University and AstraZeneca.
Flanked by chief minister Hemant Soren, health minister Banna Gupta and a senior doctor at the hospital, Mariyam, who has been working at the hospital for 13 years now, looked confident when the vaccine was administered to her.
Asked about any inconvenience or discomfort she faced immediately after being administered the vaccine, Mariyam later said, “I did not experience any difficulty. I waited for half an hour at the observation room. It feels good.”
Even though she has been on Covid duty since March, Mariyam said she did not contract the virus and was more concerned that she would end up infecting her 10-year-old son. “When I used to return home from the hospital, I used to fear for my child. I have no reason to worry anymore and will be able to serve the hospital with renewed vigour.”