Shimla, Jan 4 (PTI) Over one-fourth of eligible teenagers in the 15-18 age group were administered the first dose of coronavirus vaccine on a single on Monday, Himachal Pradesh government data showed.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had told the media after launching the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Mandi on Monday that about 3.57 lakh teenagers are eligible for vaccination in the state.

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Later in the evening on Monday, a spokesperson said 90,531 doses of Covaxin were administered across the state to teens in the 15-18 age group.

This shows that over one-fourth of the eligible teenagers got the first jab of Covaxin on Monday.

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The vaccination campaign was launched at Government Vijay Senior Secondary School in Mandi with Class 12 humanities student Ravi Kumar becoming the first student to get the first dose of Covaxin.

The highest 20,895 teenagers got Covaxin in Kangra district followed by Mandi (14,429), Kullu (10,804), Sirmaur (8,615), Una (7,822), Shimla (7,196), Hamirpur (5,724), Chamba (5,255), Solan (5,170), Bilaspur (3,915), Kinnaur (423) and Lahaul-Spiti (283).

Appreciating the enthusiasm shown by teenagers in getting themselves vaccinated, Jai Ram Thakur has expressed hope that Himachal Pradesh would emerge as a pioneer in achieving the target of vaccinating the age group.

Earlier, Himachal Pradesh had become the first state to fully vaccinate its adult population, a health official had said on December 4.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 6 had appreciated the state's efforts in the administration of vaccines during a virtual interaction with frontline workers.

(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)