Former Union Minister and Sitting Lok Sabha MP Mahesh Sharma said that he will take the COVID-19 vaccine today, becoming one of the first Parliamentarians to get jabbed for the coronavirus in the country.

Sharma, a trained MBBS doctor and MP from Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh, will be getting the vaccine on the very first day of the mega inoculation drive for his role as a "frontline healthcare worker" during the pandemic, reported PTI.

The BJP leader in a tweet in Hindi said, "We don't have to lag behind in this decisive battle against coronavirus. The government has decided that healthcare workers will be vaccinated first. I, as a doctor, will also get vaccinated tomorrow at 11 am."

"This vaccine is completely safe. The government has approved its use only after it cleared tests successfully and met scientific standards. All of you must get vaccinated," he said in another tweet.

The 61-year-old Sharma will get vaccinated at his private Kailash Hospital, one of the leading hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar, which is also among the six selected centers for the vaccination drive in the district on Saturday.