Vaccination drive rolled out at 285 centers in Maharashtra

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the drive in Mumbai, which has the highest vaccination centers in the state.

The Covid-19 vaccination drive began at 285 vaccination centers across Maharashtra on Saturday with 28,500 health workers expected to get vaccinated on day one.

Academic Dean Milind Nadkar receiving the first vaccine shot at KEM hospital in Mumbai. (Anshuman Poyrekar)

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the drive in Mumbai, which has the highest vaccination centers in the state (40), followed by Pune (31), Thane (23), Nashik (13), Nagpur and Ahmednagar (12), Kolhapur and Solapur (11).

State health minister Rajesh Tope said he would write to the Centre for additional stock of the vaccines to cover health workers in the first phase of the vaccination. “We have received 9,83,000 vials of the vaccine against 17,500,00 needed to cover all health workers. I am writing to the Union minister on Monday for the remaining vials of the vaccine at the earliest,” he said.

“We have stock of vaccine to cover 55.5% of the registered health workers who can be covered in about 15 days with the first dose. The vaccination will be conducted four days a week."