The principal and controller of SMS medical college Dr Sudhir Bhandari will get the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the main vaccination centre at SMS hospital. Vaccination is the safest way to tide over the coronavirus pandemic, Dr Sudhir Bhandari said on Saturday, shortly after he became the first person in Rajasthan to be administered a COVID-19 vaccine.

''I am feeling very good. There is a sense of happiness, excitement and wellbeing,'' the head of the Jaipur-based college told Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot through video conferencing after receiving the shot. ''This is a safe procedure and I believe it is the safest way to tide over the coronavirus pandemic. The vaccine safe,'' Bhandari said. Bhandari said that the development of vaccines is an example of scientific excellence in the country and vaccines are well tested, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched India's COVID-19 vaccination drive and asserted that the made-in-India vaccines being rolled out will ensure a ''decisive victory'' for the country over the pandemic.

Gehlot, who inaugurated the inoculation drive in the state, during the video conference had asked Bhandari what message he would like to give to those who are going to be vaccinated.

Healthcare workers at the frontline of India's COVID-19 battle got their first jabs with the launching of the world's largest vaccination drive against the pandemic.

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