SANTIAGO, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chile has fully vaccinated 59.2 percent of its target population against the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning 9,005,224 people have received both of their vaccine shots, the Health Ministry said Monday.

According to the Health Ministry, some 11,438,522 people have received their first shot, or 76.6 percent of the target population.

When launching its vaccination campaign earlier this year, the government said it would aim to immunize 80 percent of the populace, or 15 million people, by mid-year to achieve herd immunity.

Chile has thus been placed "among the first three countries in the world in range of vaccination per inhabitant," Health Minister Enrique Paris told a press conference.

Urging vaccine skeptics to get inoculated, Paris said that more vaccines would arrive this week to reinforce the country's voluntary inoculation campaign.

More than 400,000 people aged 23-39 have not received their shots, according to official estimates.

On that account, officials have set up mobile vaccination units, extended inoculation calendars, and issued vaccine passports for the fully vaccinated.