KOLKATA: When they first heard that a clinical research organisation was looking for people who could be volunteers for the Sputnik V vaccine, Kalyan Dey and Pujita Mondal were lovers who were about to get married.
They got into a pact that for the cause of science, they would be volunteers in the trial and take the first and second jabs before and after their wedding.
The idea was to spread awareness about the necessity and importance of vaccination in a pandemic-riddled world.
Just before Sputnik vaccines arrive in the city, the two are proud about their contribution and have together started a social media campaign to sensitise the community about the importance of vaccination.
They were stopped by many who told them that this might bring in infertility and impotence at a time when they were entering their newly wedded life.
But there was no stopping Kalyan, a physiotherapy practitioner at the hospitals run by the Ramakrishna Mission at Narendrapur and at the Bharat Sevasram Sangha, Ballygunj, where he is also a faculty for a physiotherapy course run by Makaut, and Pujita, a yoga teacher at a centre she runs at Sonarpur.
The two participated in the trial at Peerless Hospital under the supervision of Subhrojyoti Bhowmick after they were screened and declared fit.
Kalyan also had to convince his 64- year old mother to be part of the trial.
The two were counselled both by Bhowmick and officials at CliniMed LifeSciences.
“They naturally had questions but were very brave; we need more such fearless volunteers today,” said Snehendu Konar, spokesperson for CliniMed.