Covid – 19 pandemic claimed millions of lives globally. Several countries have imposed a complete lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The world is now looking forward to getting vaccinated against the coronavirus and reduce the risk factors. Different vaccines were manufactured by various countries and are being used as per the local government’s guidelines.
Covid Vaccination Drives in India
Indian government initiated its vaccination drives in the whole country for people above 60 years of age. Citizens were given the choice between two different vaccines – CoviShield and Covaxin. Citizens choosing Covaxin can complete both doses within a month while they have to wait for around 80 days for CoviShield at present. Initially, CoviShield vaccine doses were also given within a month. The central government initially directed all the state governments to supply vaccinations to the citizens free of cost.
Several hospitals and vaccine centers have been working towards vaccinating all the citizens of India. The vaccine drives were held across the country under the guidance of the central government, wherein all the Indian states monitored the drives regularly. The government later allowed people above 45 years of age to get vaccinated from the nearest centers. ICMR and WHO advised everyone at various instances to get vaccinated at the earliest and reduce the risk of acquiring the disease.
The first phase of vaccination started in January 2021 with around 3000 vaccine centers for people above 60 years of age. People aged between 45 and 60 years were allowed for the drives during the second phase of vaccination. As per the recent developments, the government of India allowed every citizen above 18 years of age to get vaccinated. The registrations for the same have been started on the 24th of April, 2021 but the vaccinations began on the 1st of May, 2021 from 04.00 PM. Arranging several vaccination centers in all the Indian states, the central government advised the citizens to get vaccinated soon. At present, the Sputnik vaccine is also available for citizens.
Co – Win Vaccine Registration Portal
As directed by the government of India, any citizen willing to get vaccinated has to register online for the same. Co – Win online application and website were introduced by the government for this purpose. Citizens can also use the Aarogya Setu app and the Umang app for registrations. The registered mobile number alongside a valid photo identification of the applicants is necessary for the registration. A person can make up to four registrations for different people using the same mobile number.
Required Documents
To apply for the vaccination through the Co – Win app, the citizens are required to submit some relevant documents. One can use any of the following documents for registration purposes.
- Any one of Aadhar Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Passport, and Voter ID Card
- Any Bank or Post Office’s Passbook
- Official Identification Cards for MPs, MLAs, and MLCs
- Pension Documents
- Health Insurance Smart Card issued through the Ministry of Labor’s Scheme
- NREGA or the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Job Card
- Service Identification cards of State, Central, Governments or Public Companies
Carrying the registered mobile number for vaccination is mandatory. Every applicant would receive an SMS alert related to their vaccination, the details of which are to be disclosed at the vaccination counters.
Registering on Co – Win App
State-wide registrations were also made available by the government to the citizens for easing the registration. Anyone can register for vaccination through the following process.
- One needs to open the online portal of CoWIN Government portal.
- A prompt asks the applicant for the mobile number.
- Entering the mobile number would open a new window showing different options. Vaccination Registration is one of them.
- Applicants will now find a new page opening on the screen, wherein the applicants have to enter all the necessary details asked for vaccination. The details include the type of vaccine required, dosage number, vaccination center, and ID proof, amongst others.
On submitting the details, an SMS alert would be sent to the registered mobile number informing the applicants about the confirmation of their registration. Citizens can book an appointment at the preferred center and required dosage from the Co – Win portal. The appointment slip has to be downloaded after the registration is complete and has to be carried along to the vaccination center.
At present, a web portal is only available for Co – Win vaccine registration. For registering through a mobile phone, people have to use the Aarogya Setu app, as there is no direct app for Co – Win. Alternatively, people can also use the Umang app for mobile registrations. Registered appointments can also be rescheduled whenever necessary. The ‘Reschedule’ option present on the Co – Win portal, Aarogya Setu, or Umang apps can be used for this purpose.
Citizens can directly walk into the government hospitals for vaccinations. This facility was unavailable at the private centers. As per recent developments, registrations for vaccination are mandatory for everyone above 18 years of age. Registration charges are not applicable on any portal for vaccination. At present, vaccination at government health centers is free of cost. Private centers charge based on the chosen vaccine. State governments can change or impose any rules related to the vaccination drives as and when necessary. The government of India expressed its hope that all the beneficiaries above 18 years of age would be vaccinated by December 2021.