‘Wanted to set an example to other health workers’

BENGALURU: While many healthcare workers are still apprehensive about Covid vaccines, 80-year-old Dr K Subbalakshmi, the Casualty Medical  Officer who has been working at St Philomena’s Hospital since 2009, was one of the oldest doctors in the state to get the Covishield vaccine on Sunday.

Dr Subbalakshmi said she wanted to take the jab to set an example to all healthcare workers that there is no harm in getting vaccinated. Though suffering from comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis, she still decided to get the vaccination without worrying about side-effects. She was the first doctor at the hospital to get vaccinated. 

“First, I was confident of taking the vaccine and when I got administered, I felt glad about my decision. Due to my comorbidities, they checked my vitals before vaccination. Everything was normal and I got the vaccine administered.

I was kept in the observation room for 30 minutes and I did not face any side-effects. The idea is to be a role model to other health workers. If I, despite being old and suffering from comorbidities, have taken the vaccine, others too should come forward,” she said.