Coronavirus: India kick starts 2nd phase of COVID-19 vaccination; Co-Win registration from 9am

New Delhi, Mar 01: India on Monday began inoculating its elderly citizens against coronavirus in the second phase of the world's largest vaccination drive. In this phase, people above the age of 60 years and those above 45 years who are in the high-risk category will be administered the jab.

Accoridng to the latest version of the Co-Win application, it will be open to people for registration starting at 9am. Citizens will be able to register and book an appointment for getting the vaccine, anytime and anywhere, using the Co-Win 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu, etc.

It can be seen that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the first dose of vaccine at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The 70-year-old Prime Minister reached the hospital at 6:25am to get Covaxin shot, which is indigenously developed by Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech.

In the second phase of the inoculation drive, vaccines will also be available at private hospitals. While it will be given for free at government hospitals, private hospitals have been allowed to charge no more than Rs 250 per person per dose Rs 150 for vaccines and Rs 100 as operational charges.

The health ministry has said there will be only one live appointment for a beneficiary at any point of time for each dose. Appointments for any date for a Covid Vaccination Center (CVC) will be closed at 3:00 pm on that day for which the slots were opened, it added.

A slot for the second dose will also be booked at the same CVC on the 29th day of the date of appointment of the first dose. If a beneficiary cancels a first dose appointment, then the appointment of both doses will be cancelled, according to the health ministry statement.