Karnataka’s Manjunath has been a part of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine trials. In an exclusive interview, he shares his story.
Promotion
My name is Manjunath Ningappa Pujari (41) and I am a COVID-19 vaccine trial candidate. A resident of Belgaum, Karnataka. I am referred to as a nocturnal auto ambulance man and work three jobs each day — an office assistant in the morning, a part-time job in the evening, followed by ferrying patients to and from different hospitals at night.
Like so many others, my father passed away all alone due to this global health crisis. He was an otherwise healthy man that stayed with me. Life, as I knew it changed, and I vowed to help in whatever way I could to beat the pandemic.
True to form, when a newspaper advertisement calling for volunteers for the COVID-19 vaccine trial appeared, I jumped at it and went to enrol myself. The thought that I could in some small way help in bringing the COVID-19 pandemic situation under control brought me…