Surat (Gujarat) [India], February 1 (ANI): The second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive kicked off in Surat on Sunday with the inoculation of police personnel.

About 30,000 front-line workers will be vaccinated in the second phase today.

Police Commissioner AK Tomar of the Surat Police, who came to get a shot of the vaccine, lauded the country's efforts in the development of the vaccine and urged the public to take the vaccine without hesitation when their time comes.

"India has done a great job in developing and producing the COVID-19 vaccine. Healthcare workers started vaccination on January 16, and from today, police personnel will also be vaccinated. Other senior officers of the Surat Police will also be taking the vaccine," Tomar said.

He further added, "I urge the public to take the vaccine when their time comes. This vaccine is an integral weapon to fight the coronavirus."

Earlier on Thursday, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised states and union territories to increase the percentage coverage of COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries and optimize sessions per day.

According to a statement, the Health Secretary, while reviewing the status of vaccination with Health Secretaries and National Health Mission MDs through video conference, pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccine is available in sufficient quantity and technical glitches on the CoWIN app have now been resolved.

"While some States and UTs have more than 50 per cent coverage, they were all advised to improve the percentage coverage of vaccinated beneficiaries as there are many States and UTs that need to improve their performance on this parameter," the statement said. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)