In pictures: Dry run for COVID-19 vaccination begins across India

A nurse conducts the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine at GMCH in Guwahati. With the objective to gear up for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine across the country, the dry run will be conducted by all the States and UT governments from Saturday.

COVID-19 vaccine administration dry run is being conducted, at a health care centre at Bidhannagar in Kolkata. India, which has the world's second highest number of pandemic cases - more than 10.2 million - has set an ambitious target of inoculating 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by mid-2021.

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan (left) visits the health care centre to review the dry run of the COVID-19 vaccination program, at Daryaganj in New Delhi.

According to Union Health Ministry, the objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine introduction is to "assess operational feasibility in the use of COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) application in field environment, to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the challenges and guide way forward prior to actual implementation".

Dry run of COVID vaccination is underway at 5 centres in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. The activity is proposed to be conducted in all State Capitals in at least 3 session sites. Some States will also include districts that are situated in difficult terrain/have poor logistical support.

Maharashtra and Kerala are likely to schedule the dry run in major cities other than their Capital. | Above: COVID-19 vaccine administration dry run is being conducted, at a health care centre in Patna.

In Delhi, the drive will be conducted at three locations - the Daryaganj primary health centre, the government-run Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, and the private Venkateshwara hospital.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged every official to ensure that the vaccination sites and officials in-charge abide by the detailed checklist and Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) for vaccination that has been prepared by the Union Health Ministry.

A medic demonstrates administration of COVAXIN, to a health worker during its trials, at the Urban Primary Health Centre at Tezpur in Sonitpur district, Assam.

COVID-19 vaccine administration dry run is being conducted at Bidhannagar in Kolkata. Serum Institute of India, the world's biggest vaccine producer, has already stockpiled tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca's Covishield ready for the campaign and 96,000 health workers have been trained for the inoculation drive.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain during his visit to the health care centre to review the dry run of the COVID-19 vaccination program, at Daryaganj in New Delhi.

Health officials wait for the start of dry run or a mock drill for Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine delivery at a primary health centre in Hyderabad.

The drills saw 25 health workers receive dummy vaccines at each of the centres to be used across the country in a test run ahead of the launch.

Health officials take part in dry run or a mock drill for Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine delivery at a government-run hospital in Hyderabad.