Ratan Tata gets his first shot of Covid-19 vaccine, says it was 'painless'

Tata Group's Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata on Saturday took his first dose of COVID-19 vaccination.

He said the vaccine shot was painless and expressed his hope that everyone would get immunised against coronavirus in the near future.

"Very thankful to have gotten my first vaccination shot today. It was effortless and painless. I truly hope everyone can be immunised and protected soon," he tweeted.

As many as 2,82,18,457 doses of the vaccine have been administered till March 12, out of which 20,53,537 were done on Friday.

As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 22,58,39,273 samples had been tested until March 12 including 8,40,635 on Friday.

Maharashtra remains one of the worst affected states in the country with 15,817 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of active cases stands at 1,10,485 while the death toll stands at 52,723.

India started its vaccination drive on January 16 with priority given to all healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase.

The second phase started on March 1 where doses are being administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 years with specific comorbidities.

The country is aiming to vaccinate 30 crore people against COVID-19 by July so as to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus.