The entire eligible population of Uttar Pradesh has received the first dose of vaccine against Covid-19, health officials have confirmed.
The milestone was achieved at around 8.30 p.m. on Monday. The officials informed that while district wise data was still being tabulated, the state has crossed the 100 per cent mark.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had set January 31 as the deadline for first dose saturation.
"The estimated adult population to be vaccinated in Uttar Pradesh is 14.74 crore. And, as of Monday evening, the entire chunk has taken at least one dose," said a senior health officer.
The record has been achieved in 380 days.
The officer added that nearly 50 per cent of the districts in the state also achieved the goal. The list includes Gautam Buddha Nagar, Lucknow, Jhansi, Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Chandauli, Sultanpur, Mirzapur, Kannauj and Mathura among others.
In the process, the state also crossed the 26-crore dose mark which is highest in the country.
The total number of doses administered in the state is 26.14 crore. In terms of people, 15.69 crore, including 95 lakh adolescents, have taken the first dose, while 10.31 crore are fully vaccinated.
This means that nearly 70 per cent of the adult population has been fully vaccinated. Also, 68 per cent of the adolescent population has taken the first dose. Since they are being given Covaxin, the process for those due for their second dose will begin from February 3.
Health officials also said that 13.80 lakh persons in the state have also taken a third shot or the precaution dose.
January saw more than seven crore doses being administered.
A government spokesman said that all energy will now be focused on achieving cent per cent first dose coverage in the remaining 37 districts.
The target of at least 75 per cent second dose coverage in all districts before they go to the polls is also being eyed.
Health teams are ready with a phase-wise plan to achieve the second dose coverage goal.
Source : IANS