A BOURNEMOUTH medical couple received their first coronavirus vaccination at Dorset County Hospital on their 35th wedding anniversary in December.

Tanzeem and Shireen Haider from Bournemouth received their first vaccine on Tuesday, December 22 after being offered the hospital's spare doses.

Tanzeem, a consultant in acute medicine at Bournemouth Hospital, and Shireen, a pathologist consultant at Poole Hospital, have been doctors for 40 and 30 years respectively.

They received the vaccine after being on the frontline throughout the pandemic.

Tanzeem said: "I work on the frontline as a consultant in acute medicine. I’m quite exposed to Covid due to my patients and I’m deemed to be high risk. I was offered to not work on the frontline during the pandemic and to work behind a desk, but I continued to work on the frontline.

"Shireen and I both contracted Covid in March but luckily we recovered."

When putting themselves forward for the vaccine, neither Tanzeem nor Shireen expected to receive it on a special anniversary.

Tanzeem said: "Dorchester Hospital received the vaccine before Bournemouth Hospital, although Bournemouth was supposed to be one of the first. They had some spare doses, so we contacted them and we were able to have the vaccine. It was a coincidence that it happened on our 35 wedding anniversary.

"It was a bit of a surprise to receive it on that day, but it was a pleasant one.

"That was what we did for our anniversary, apart from a quiet celebration at home."

Sakina Haider, Tanzeem and Shireen's youngest daughter, said: "I thought it was quite sweet how it worked out as it wasn’t planned. It was very fitting as they have both dedicated their lives to medicine."