Madhya Pradesh vaccinates over five crore people against COVID-19 so far, says health official

Bhopal: More than five crore people have been given anti-coronavirus vaccine doses in Madhya Pradesh so far, with nearly 94 lakh of them getting the second jab as well, a health official said on Thursday. “Till Wednesday night, a total of 5,00,69,857 people have been vaccinated in the state,” managing director of the National Health Mission (NHM) in MP, Priyanka Das, said. Of them, 4,06,90,004 people have been given the first dose and 93,79,853 others both the jabs, Das said. State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated the health department employees, officials, especially the staff associated with the vaccination programme, on the achievement. He said that in order to completely wipe out the virus, inoculation of all was very essential. Chouhan urged the people of the state to participate in large numbers in the mega vaccination drive to be held on September 17 on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. The chief minister also said that after achieving the 100 per cent target of administering the first dose to the population of 18 years and above by September end, the government would strive hard to give them the second jab at the earliest.