San Francisco, Jun 24 (IANS): The San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) and the city's Covid Command Center have announced a partnership with the San Francisco Giants baseball team to give out game tickets to residents who get vaccinated against the virus.

Beginning Friday, people who get vaccinated at designated sites will receive two complimentary tickets for a Giants game between July and September on a basis of "first come, first serve" basis while supplies last, the joint announcement said on Wednesday.

The initiative is part of Major League Baseball's Vaccinate at the Plate campaign, a national effort to increase national vaccination rates, reports Xinhua news agency.

"San Francisco has led the nation in our effort to vaccinate our residents by making vaccines available, accessible, and convenient.

While we're proud to have been the first major city in the country to administer at least one dose to 80 per cent of our eligible residents, we're not going to slow down our efforts to reach each and every San Franciscan," said Mayor London Breed.

The city has also expanded neighborhood vaccine sites and mobile vaccine teams to Treasure Island, Chinatown, and other neighbourhoods with high infection rates and limited access to healthcare services.

Currently, 81 per cent of San Francisco residents eligible for a Covid vaccination have received at least one dose.

San Francisco is the first major city in the nation to reach this milestone.

So far, 72 per cent of the city's eligible population are fully vaccinated and 81 per cent of those 65 and over are fully inoculated.

However, disparities persist with the percentage of Black/African American and Latinx populations receiving at least one dose standing at 57 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively, according to the announcement.