Grandparents become one of the first in the world to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
Dr Hari Shukla was at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle this morning where the 87-year-old received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
He was joined by this wife Ranju Shukla.
Dr Shukla was given a sticker as he became one of the first people in the country to be given the Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr Shulka was born in Uganda and came to this country in 1974, working in race relations, and was the director of the Tyne and Wear Racial Equality Council.
The father-of-four, who has nine grandchildren, has been honoured with a CBE for his work in race relations, and has supported numerous charities in voluntary roles.
Nurse Suzanne Medows said “Congratulations” after she injected him in the left arm, and there was a ripple of applause.
She then said he could make his grandchildren jealous by having a sticker they did not have – one which read “I’ve had my Covid vaccination”.
People have been asked not to turn up at hospitals expecting to be vaccinated after the first patients were given jabs.
A Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust spokeswoman said a woman in her 90s had turned up at a hospital, having watched the news.
She said people will be contacted when it is their turn to be vaccinated.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here