Almost 5000 senior citizens and over 400 middle-aged persons with comorbid conditions were inoculated against the Covid-19 virus in Jharkhand on Wednesday, taking the total count of senior citizens, who have been administered the first dose of the vaccine, to 9,356 in the state, figures compiled by the National Health Mission (NHM) highlighted.

On Wednesday, as many as 4,958 senior citizens, including 864 from Pakur alone, were administered the first dose of the Covishield vaccine. As per NHM data, as many as 313 senior citizens were inoculated in Ranchi on the day, while 648 senior citizens were administered the vaccine jab in Bokaro. Only 38 senior citizens were inoculated against the virus in East Singhbhum.

As many as 129 middle-agers with comorbid conditions were inoculated in Deoghar, while 90 people from this category were administered the vaccine in Pakur, revealed NHM data. In Ranchi, as many as 63 middle-agers with comorbid conditions were inoculated. So far, the state has administered the first dose of the vaccine to 918 people who are above the age of 45 years and are suffering from some or the other comorbid condition.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand on Wednesday administered the first dose of the vaccine to 8145 healthcare workers and frontline workers, which was only 33 per cent of the total number of registered beneficiaries. The second dose of the vaccine was administered to as many as 6201 of the over 23,000 registered beneficiaries, the NHM stated in its report.

As per government data, the state has so far administered the first dose of Covishield vaccine to 3,09.814 people and as many as 39185 of these beneficiaries have also received the second dose of the vaccine. Jharkhand has achieved 83 per cent of its target in administering the first dose of the vaccine and 70 per cent in administering the second dose.

Meanwhile, Covid recoveries outnumbered fresh cases of infection in the state on Wednesday, bringing the count of active cases down to 473, a bulletin released by the NHM stated. As many as 31 people were found infected in Jharkhand on the day, while 56 patients recovered.

Ranchi reported 22 of the 31 fresh cases but also accounted for 25 of 56 recoveries on the day, the NHM bulletin further stated. No fresh Covid casualties were reported in the state on Wednesday.

So far, as many as 1,20,068 people have been infected by the Covid-19 virus in Jharkhand so far and more than 98 per cent of them have recovered. By Wednesday evening, Ranchi accounted for 288 of the 473 active cases.