Dozens of health workers clapped and cheered the “vaccine carrier” staff as the coronavirus vaccines does reached Mumbai’s Cooper hospital on Saturday morning.

With ‘arti’ thalis and sweets, the staff of Cooper hospital waited outside the facility to welcome the first beneficiaries of the vaccination drive.

The hospital is one of the 285 centres in Maharashtra where the vaccnation will be conducted in the first phase. It is also among the centres where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be live through a webcast.

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At each centre, the vaccine will be provided to 100 health workers on the first day, which cover 28,500 workers.

The prime minister through video link will view vaccination sessions at Cooper hospital, and at Jalna district hospital in Marathwada.

The state has received 9.63 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine and 20,000 doses of Covaxin vaccine, which have been distributed to all the districts. Vaccinations will be given daily from nine in the morning to five in the evening.

In Mumbai, the vaccination campaign will be launched by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the centre in Bandra-Kurla complex.