Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray received the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. The second phase of the nationwide vaccination drive, which started on March 1, is currently underway. The Chief Minister took the vaccine at JJ Hospital, Mumbai.
After taking the COVID-19 vaccine, CM Uddhav Thackeray said: "There is no need for anyone to have any fear or confusion about the COVID vaccine. I have just been vaccinated and I am standing right in front of you. So, it is my humble appeal to all my citizens who are eligible for vaccination to go get it without any doubt in their minds."
CM Thackeray was accompanied by Rashmi Thackeray, Meenatai Patankar and Shiv Sena Secretary Milind Narvekar who were also vaccinated.
Earlier this month, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and his family had taken the COVID-19 vaccine. On March 5, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was administered the COVID-19 vaccine at the state-run JJ Hospital.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers receiving vaccine jabs. Immunisation of frontline workers started on February 2. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on March 1 for those who are over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified comorbidities.
Maharashtra continues to be one of the worst COVID-19 affected states in the country.
Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 13,659 new coronavirus cases, the highest one-day spike this year, which took the state's caseload to 22,52,057. With 54 fatalities, the death toll stood at 52,610.
As many as 9,913 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the total of recoveries to 20,99,207. There are 99,008 active cases in the state.
(With inputs from Agencies)
