Maharashtra: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has stated that the state government urged support from Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to convince people to take the COVID-19 vaccine in Muslim-dominated districts where there is apprehension. He provided an update on the situation of vaccination in Maharashtra, saying that while the state is leading in terms of vaccine shots injected, the pace is slow in some sections of the state.
Minister Tope was quoted as saying, “There is still some hesitancy in Muslim-dominated areas. We have decided to use Salman Khan and religious leaders to convince the Muslim community to take the vaccine. Religious leaders and film actors wield great influence and people listen to them.”
So far, he claims, more than 10.25 crore vaccination doses have been administered in the state. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recorded 10,197 new COVID-19 cases in India in the last 24 hours. The country reported 12,134 recoveries, bringing the total to 3,38,73,890. The current recovery rate is 98.28%, which is the highest since March 2020. The daily positive rate is 0.82 percent, according to the health ministry. So far, the Nationwide Vaccination Drive has administered more than 113.68 crore vaccine doses.