A 103-year-old woman proved age is no bar when she received the COVID-19 vaccination at Apollo Hospitals in Bengaluru on Tuesday. J Kameshwari, a resident of the city, is one of the oldest persons in the country to have received the vaccination.
"J Kameshwari received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru. So far she is the oldest woman in India to have received the COVID19 vaccine as per available data. She was accompanied by her 77 year old son Prasad Rao and other eligible family members to Apollo Hospitals for vaccination," a statement from Apollo Hospital read.
"J Kameshwari co-operated well with the staff while getting vaccinated, and neither she, nor her family members reported any side-effects in the 30-minute post-vaccination observation," the statement added.
Officials at Apollo Hospital praised Kameshwari for setting an example for other senior citizens. "We appreciate the courage and grit shown by Smt. J. Kameshwari & her family, especially at this age to fight against the pandemic by getting vaccinated. They deserve to be praised for setting an example for other senior citizens and helping to alleviate any fear and doubts in their minds regarding vaccination," an official said.
"At Apollo we recommend more people to come forward and take the COVID-19 vaccination, which is a strong weapon in our armoury to win the battle against the novel coronavirus," the official added.
On the same day in Noida, Mahabir Prasad Maheshwari, another 103-year-old man received the vaccination. While his Aadhaar card stated that he was born in 1917, a year before the Spanish flu caused a pandemic, reports stated that there were disputing claims about his age. He was accompanied by other senior members of his family including his 81-year-old son Sudarshan Dayal for the vaccination on Tuesday.
Earlier, Mumbai's Shashikala Joshi was the oldest woman in the country to receive the vaccination. The 100-year-old received her first jab on March 5 along with her daughter who is 75 years old.