Coronavirus: 34,889 more people vaccinated in Maharashtra

As many as 34,889 people, including 15,593 healthcare workers, were inoculated against COVID-19 in Maharashtra on Thursday, the state health department said.

With this, a total of 6,08,570 people have been inoculated in the state so far since the vaccination drive was launched on January 16. Of the 34,889 people who were given the vaccine during the day, 19,296 were frontline workers. They received their first dose of the vaccine, the department said.

It is for the first time that more number of frontline workers were inoculated than the health care workers, an official said. After the first dose, the second jab will be given after a gap of four weeks.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive began in the state as part of the nationwide programme to stamp out the coronavirus. Initially, vaccine shots were given only to healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and ASHA volunteers, and later frontline workers like police personnel and sanitation staffers were added to the list of beneficiaries.