Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi took the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, a day after the start of the second phase of the inoculation drive.
Naqvi got inoculated at Rampur's K D Dalmia Eye Hospital and was administered Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
After getting inoculated, the minister thanked the medical staff at the hospital and urged all those eligible to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.
Naqvi, 63, is the Lok Sabha member from Rampur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu were among the host of top leaders who took the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and NCP president Sharad Pawar also took the jab on Monday.
The government had announced on Wednesday that everyone above 60 years of age and those over 45 years with comorbidities will be able to get the Covid-19 vaccine from March 1 for free at government facilities and for a charge at many private hospitals.
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