Ahmedabad, Aug 18 (PTI) More than one crore eligible beneficiaries in Gujarat have taken both jabs of the COVID-19 vaccine, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Wednesday.

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As per official figures, Gujarat has around 4.8 crore people above the age of 18, of whom more than 3.12 crore have already taken their first dose, while over one crore citizens have received their second dose till Wednesday.

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"I congratulate all health workers of Gujarat for administering both doses of the anti-coronavirus vaccines to one crore citizens in the state. I also congratulate citizens who are now fully vaccinated against coronavirus," Patel, who also holds the Health portfolio, said in a statement.

The COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched in Gujarat on January 16, the same day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the drive across the country.

It has taken seven months for the administration to cover one crore people with both doses of the vaccine.

Since the last one month, the vaccination drive has picked up pace, with an average 4 to 5 lakh doses being administered every day.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases emerging every day has also dropped significantly in the last couple of months. On Tuesday, the state had recorded just 17 new cases and no fresh casualties.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)