Doctors' Prescription... We Can, So Should You

Alka Gujral, a gynaecologist at Max Hospital, Saket, claimed to have had no apprehensions about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday.

The 60-year-old doctor’s message was clear, “It is better to get the vaccine than to live with the fear of the coronavirus.” Her daughter and son-in-law too got inoculated in the United States. Vineet Bajaj, 34, assistant professor of orthopedics at Lok Nayak Hospital, also bared his arm for the injection on Thursday. His name wasn’t listed, but he volunteered for early vaccination. “With the out-patients department and in-patient services resuming in the hospital, we need the jab for self-protection,” he said.

Both Gujral and Bajaj, of course, were also heeding the call for seniors to opt for the vaccine to allay worries about adverse reactions and the efficacy of the two vaccines being used in India. As Dr Deepak Gupta, professor of neurosurgery at AIIMS, put it, “Unless the senior faculty members come forward, the juniors will not budge. We need to lead from the front.” Gupta opted for the vaccine on Thursday and publicised it on the faculty WhatsApp group, inspiring some others too to walk to the vaccination booth.