Around 70 per cent of eligible beneficiaries in Maharashtra have got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while the remaining people may be showing vaccine hesitancy, state health minister Rajesh Tope said in Jalna.

Speaking to reporters, he said getting these people to overcome their hesitancy was the health department's biggest challenge now. "Around 70 per cent people have got the first jab. The remaining are reluctant. It is a challenge for the health department to pursue them to take the vaccine dose," he said.