Photos: 2nd phase of COVID-19 vaccination drive begins in India, elderly queue up

Medical staff inoculate people with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at the BYL Nair hospital in Mumbai on March 1, 2021, as the country begins a vaccination programme for senior people. On Monday, the drive began to give jabs to persons aged 60 and above, and those in 45-59 age bracket with comorbidities.

New coronavirus infections are increasing again after months of consistent decline, and scientists have detected worrisome variants of the virus that they fear could hasten infections or render vaccines or treatments less useful. Vaccinating more people is a priority, with India's Health Ministry on Sunday urging states "not to lower their guard" and "squander away the gains of the collective hard work of the last year."

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a dose of COVAXIN, a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine developed by India's Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research, at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to take the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on the very first day of India opening up the inoculation drive for senior citizens and those aged 45 and above with comorbidities should eliminate any hesitancy from the minds of people about the vaccine, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria said on Monday.

People crowd up to register before receiving a dose of COVISHIELD, a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, during a vaccination drive for people above 60 years of age and those who are 45 or more and suffering from certain medical conditions, at a medical centre in New Delhi.

Appointment for vaccination can be booked through the Co-WIN 2.0 portal. A mobile number cannot be used for making more than four registrations. Above, people wait to get inoculated with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a government hospital in Chennai.

A medical staff inoculates a man with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a hospital in Srinagar. The vaccines will be administered free of cost at government hospitals and health centres, while up to Rs 250 per dose will be charged at private health facilities.

A beneficiary gestures after getting a COVISHIELD vaccine shot at a government hospital in Noida, a suburb of New Delhi, India, Monday, March 1, 2021. India is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination drive beyond health care and front-line workers, offering the shots to older people and those with medical conditions that put them at risk.

An elderly woman arrives on wheel chair to get vaccinated for COVID-19 at a vaccination center in Mumbai.

India has recorded more than 11 million cases, second in the world behind the United States, with over 157,000 deaths in the country from COVID-19.

An Indian health worker take photograph of a women while register names of elders before administer COVISHIELD vaccine at a government hospital in Siddipet 100 kms away from Hyderabad.

People within the age group of 45-59 years with comorbidities are required to produce a comorbidity certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner.

People wait to get inoculated with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a government hospital in Chennai.

An elderly person being administered with the COVID-19 vaccine, during a countrywide inoculation drive, at Tej Bahadur Sapru Hospital in Prayagraj,

Elderly people wait to register their names to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at a government hospital in Siddipet, in the Indian state of Telangana.

People queue up to register themselves to be inoculated with the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at MS Ramaiah Hospital in Bangalore.

A health worker takes photograph of an elderly woman while registering names before administering COVISHIELD vaccine at the Guwahati Medical College hospital in Gauhati.