I’m not afraid, want to be a part of history
The nurse who will get the first shot tells The Daily Star
Runu Beronica Costa wanted to become a part of the country's history.
Today, the senior nurse's wish will be fulfilled when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurates the country's pilot Covid-19 vaccination programme at Kurmitola General Hospital, where Costa works.
She will get the first shot of the vaccine on the auspicious occasion.
"When I came to know that the prime minister would inaugurate the vaccination at Kurmitola, I immediately thought: Why not me?" Costa said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star last night.
"I wanted to be part of history. I told my [hospital] authorities that I would like to take the vaccine first," she said.
Asked what motivated her to be the first in the country to take the vaccine, the 38-year-old Costa said, "I have been in the profession for a long time. When the pandemic was hitting hard, I did not retreat from my duties. My hospital was a Covid-19 dedicated one. I have been serving here since the pandemic started; I did not leave the profession then. So, when the vaccine arrives, why should I retreat? There is nothing to fear."
Costa said two of her colleagues will also get the vaccine dose on the first day of piloting the vaccine in the country.
She also said her family members were very supportive of her bold decision.
"I talked to my husband and he encouraged me. No one said a negative word about the vaccine. Every vaccine has side effects. This vaccine might also have some side effects. If I'm extremely unlucky I might experience some side effects. But I'm not worried about it at all," said Costa, who is a mother to a son and a daughter.
She said after completing her diploma in nursing, she joined United Hospital as a nurse in 2002.
Hailing from Gazipur, Costa served there for nine years before joining the government job in 2013.
"Kurmitola General Hospital was my first working station in a government job. And I have been serving here since then," Costa said.
She said her husband Pobon Gomes, whom she married in 2005, is an administration officer of a private company.
Her 13-year-old daughter Protha Gomes and 10-year-old son Prayash Gomes are in school.