MP: Enthusiasm marks first day of COVID vaccination for 18-44 age group

BHOPAL: Several people in the age group of 18 to 44 queued up outside inoculation centres in Madhya Pradesh as the COVID-19 vaccination drive for this category began in the state on Wednesday.

A vaccination centre for this age group has been set up in each of the 52 districts of MP, Additional Director, Health, Dr Santosh Shukla told PTI.

"The vaccination began at these centres from 9 am on Wednesday," he said.

The official said 100 people will be administered the vaccine doses on Wednesday at these centres as per pre-allotted slots.

In the industrial hub of Indore, Ankit Shrivastava, a 33-year-old legal officer with an insurance company, was the first to receive the vaccine dose at the inoculation camp set up at the municipal corporation headquarters.

After receiving the jab, Shrivastava told reporters that he had been keeping a tab on news for the last several days about when about the vaccination for his age group would begin.

"I finally took the first shot of the vaccine today. This is the only effective weapon against COVID-19," he said.

In the state capital Bhopal, a number of people were seen standing in a queue outside the vaccination centre at Girls Higher Secondary School in Tulsi Nagar area.

Local resident Monika Gupta was the first person to receive the jab in this age category at the inoculation centre here.

Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday reported 12,236 fresh COVID-19 cases and 98 fatalities, taking the tally of infections to 6,12,666 and the toll to 6,003, as per the state health department.

The caseload in Indore, the worst hit by the viral infection in MP, stood at 1,18,085, including 1,169 deaths.

The infection count in Bhopal stood at 96,476, including 764 fatalities, as per official figures.

(THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS)

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