Maharashtra acting chief secretary takes 1st COVID-19 vaccine jab 10 months after launch of inoculation drive

Over 10 months after the COVID-19 vaccination drive began in the country, Maharashtra's acting chief secretary Debashish Chakrabarty has taken the first dose of the vaccine, a medical officer said on Saturday.

The 59-year-old senior bureaucrat was administered the dose here on Thursday.

The medical officer said that Chakrabarty defended the move of taking the jab months after the launch of the vaccination drive, saying that although he had no aversion to the vaccine, it was his personal decision and he could take the dose whenever he wanted.


The IAS officer took the vaccine chiefly in view of the upcoming winter session of the state Assembly, which is scheduled to start from December 22, the medical officer added.

Vaccination is mandatory to attend the winter session of the Assembly.

A total of 11.72 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state so far, while nearly 50 per cent of the eligible population has been covered with the first dose, it was stated.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 this year.