Lucknow, Jul 9 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh has overtaken Maharashtra in terms of Covid vaccinations, after over seven lakh vaccinations.

According to the CoWin Portal, the total number of doses extended in Uttar Pradesh till 9 p.m. on Thursday was 3.60 crore while Maharashtra stood at 3.57 crore.

The state now accounts for about 10 per cent of the total doses given in the country.

Uttar Pradesh has been able to provide at least one dose to 22.4 per cent of its population.

On Thursday, UP also became the first state to have given the first dose of the vaccine to over three crore people.

As per the CoWin portal, 3,04,96,595 persons have taken at least one dose while 55.27 lakh are fully vaccinated in the state.

The nearest contender is Maharashtra where 2.82 crore have taken at least the first dose.

The others to follow are Rajasthan (2.15 crore), Gujarat (2.11 crore) and Karnataka (2.04 crore).

Among districts, Lucknow (15.64 lakh), Gautam Buddha Nagar (13.04 lakh), Ghaziabad (11.29 lakh), Meerut (10.50 lakh) and Gorakhpur (9.93 lakh) are among the top performing districts while Kasganj (1.78 lakh), Lalitpur (1.86 lakh), Kaushambhi (1.98 lakh) and Aurraiya (2 lakh) are among the worst performing ones.

Health officials said that the improvement in vaccination scenario is mainly due to the cluster model which has addressed the key bottlenecks, particularly connectivity and digital divide, and created an ease of vaccination.

The steps taken, such as microplanning, have accelerated the vaccination drive in the state.

Since the launch of the cluster model, vaccination in the rural areas has picked up very well. On a daily basis, about 40 per cent of the vaccinations are taking place in villages.

Additional chief secretary (ACS), health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said that there was visible enthusiasm for the vaccine now. He also said that the state had ample stock and all eligible persons must get themselves vaccinated as soon as possible.

Navneet Sehgal, ACS, information, said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had expressed satisfaction at the pace of the vaccination programme and directed district officials to ensure that every eligible person was facilitated for the vaccination.

He said that the chief minister had also congratulated the team behind the drive.