NEW DELHI: At the age of 107, Kewal Krishan, who was part of the drafting committee of India’s Constituent Assembly, achieved another milestone. He is arguably the oldest person in India to take the first dose Covid-19 vaccine shot on Monday.
Krishan was vaccinated at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute under the supervision of cardiologist Dr Ashok Seth.
He is feeling fine and has not exhibited any adverse effects post immunisation, the son said, adding, that he performed his daily ‘puja’ after returning home.
Two years ago, he was the oldest patient in the world to have undergone stenting to the artery of the left side of the brain to prevent a major stroke, said a statement issued by the hospital.
Krishan was five years old when the deadly Spanish Flu pandemic had spread across the globe in 1918.
“It is really a heartening moment to see that Kewal Krishan has got vaccinated safely and will continue to lead a good quality of life in safety. This is important, especially because two years ago, he started having repeated small strokes and faced the threat of a major stroke leading to paralysis,” said Dr Seth.
He said the blockages were very hard, torturous and angulated, and it took two hours to treat it via a non-invasive carotid artery stent implantation.
“I am happy to say that he improved and today he took the vaccine to remain well and enjoy his life with his family,” the leading cardiologist said.Bidesh Chandra Paul, zonal director of the institute, said he hope Krishan’s decision to get himself vaccinated will encourage others, too.
“We will continue to do our best in aiding the government efforts to combat and end the pandemic,” he said.
Centenarians have been coming out in strength to get the Covid jab. On March 6, Tulsi Das Chawla (104), a resident of east Patel Nagar (Delhi), got vaccinated at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. On March 9, a 103-year-old woman J Kameshwari had received her first dose of the vaccine in Bengaluru.