How to preregister online for Covid vaccine shots in India through Co-WIN government website
Are you looking for information on how to book a slot online for the government inoculation program for the Covid vaccine? Want to know how to register without a mobile app? This article provides some general information on the registration process to book an appointment for a vaccine shot to protect against the Covid-19 virus.
Note that you are not allowed to choose between Oxford AstraZeneca's Covisheld and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
Update on 2nd March As per a notification issued by the Union Health Ministry, Govt. of India, the Co-WIN Vaccinator App on the Play Store is to be used by officials/administrators and not for booking appointments for vaccination slots. That should be done only through the official government portal.Overview
The Central Government aims to streamline the procedure to provide a Covid vaccine to those citizens who require it, through a single digital platform, namely a smartphone app, which is named Co-WIN Vaccinator App. This mobile app is an important aspect of the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) system that the Govt. launched earlier. The mobile App will not only be the focal point to ensure mass vaccine inoculation and to record data of every vaccine session on the State and national level but will also provide crucial information about storage facilities to ensure that the vaccine doses are being maintained at the required temperature.
Highlights of Co-WIN Vaccinator App
The Co-WIN Vaccinator App has features to enable an individual to register his/her name through the app, get information about where and when the vaccine shot will be given, and for authorized agencies to later sent an intimation about the second vaccine dose to be taken (if this is applicable for the particular company's vaccine).
Other than enabling the personnel of an authorized agency to maintain a record of vaccine data, the Co-WIN Vaccinator App will help them to create a database of front-line personnel, including those directly in the field of healthcare, and others who provide vital associated services, such as police personnel. All these citizens will come under a category called the Prioritized Population Group. Citizens who are above the age of 50 years and those below 50 years with co-morbidities will be categorized under the Prioritized Age Group. This group of citizens will likely be contacted based on the data of electoral rolls of the most recent State-based or national elections.
While arrangements are likely to be made for healthcare workers to get the vaccine shot at fixed sites, such as hospitals and health centers, the general public will be required to register via the Co-WIN Vaccinator mobile App and take the vaccine shot at centers that will be set up by the local authorities. Since these centers need to ensure that there is no crowding, the campuses of educational institutes, marriage halls, even polling booths, and other large spaces will be considered as venues for the vaccine program. As per the guidelines, centers would be located nearest to the place of residence/work. In the case of regions in India where there are security issues or the terrain is rough, mobile camps will be set up. A minimum of 100 citizens per session should benefit from the vaccine shot.
There are five components on the Co-WIN Vaccinator App – (i) an administrator component for those managing and coordinating the vaccination sessions; (ii) the vaccination component to verify details of the beneficiary and update the status of the vaccination; (iii) the beneficiary acknowledgment component that dispatches intimations and alerts via SMS to the beneficiary and will also generate QR-based certificates after he/she gets the vaccine shot; (iv) the report component to prepare reports on the number of vaccine sessions, the number of citizens who came for them/did not come, etc; and (v) a component that will provide live data on the temperature of the vaccine cold-storage facilities to the main server.
The registration process for Covid-19 vaccine
Although the Co-WIN Vaccinator App is available for download at Google Play Store, it is currently accessible only for officials and administrators involved with the vaccination drive who will use it to upload data of health workers and other front line personnel to allot them slots. Others (the general public) will have to register at the website only.
You can check the nearest vaccination center and register at Co-Win official registration portal. Fill up the personal details, such as name, age, and gender, and upload an ID proof. In this third phase, senior citizens above 60 years of age are allowed to register and get vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as those who are above 45 years of age with co-morbidities. In the case of those over 45 years of age, these beneficiaries have to upload the Doctor's Certificate as a supporting document of co-morbidity.
[Image source: official CoWIN website]At the vaccination center
Note that the vaccine can be taken totally free at a Government vaccination center, but at a private hospital/center, you need to pay. The amount has been capped at Rs.250/-. When you visit the center for the vaccine shot, you will be required to produce identity documents in original, such as Voter's ID, Aadhar Card, Driving License, Passport, etc. This document should be one having your photo on it and there will be separate staff for checking documents before you get entry inside the next room to take the vaccine. The vaccine will be administered by an authorized vaccination Officer and authorized medical personnel is required to be present, along with the necessary security personnel.
Once the vaccine shot is administered to you, you will be made to remain at the center in the third room for some time (maybe up to half an hour), under observation to note adverse reactions, if any, to the vaccine shot. Social distancing will be maintained between the people seated here.
You can get a QR-based Vaccination certificate once the vaccination has been done, through the App or website or Digi Locker.
Know how to book your appointment: https://prod-cdn.preprod.co-vin.in/assets/pdf/user-guide-citizen-registration-ver-1.1.pdf
Note that if you are not able to register either through a mobile app or through the official website, then you are allowed to walk-in to your nearest vaccination center with your ID and age proof and can get a vaccination in case there is a vacant slot available.A few questions
A few questions come to mind -
Is taking the vaccine going to be mandatory for all, even those who are healthy?
Would it not be better to have specific time slots for each beneficiary so that there are no long queues and also since people need to wait under observation before exiting?
Will the vaccine center have the appropriate storage facility to keep the vaccines at the correct temperature for the entire say's session?
Will the vaccine center have facilities for physically challenged citizens?
Can the vaccine shot be administered at home for vulnerable senior citizens, as also those who are too frail to move out?Conclusion
Let's hope for the best for the world to successfully emerge from this pandemic. In the meanwhile, do continue to take care – wear a mask outdoors, avoid all kinds of large functions and gatherings, wash hands and maintain hygiene. Continue to stay home when not essential to step outdoors. Stay safe.Useful contact information for Covid-19
Helpline Number: +91-11-23978046.
Toll-Free Number: 1075.
Helpline Email ID: ncov2019@gov.in.
List of Covid-19 Facilities in States and Union Territories of India: https://www.mohfw.gov.in./pdf/StatewiseCovidHospitalslink19062020.pdf.
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This is a very exhaustive, elaborate, and useful information article by the author on the vaccination program in India. The vaccination in India will be a marathon job as such a large population will require it in phases. To control and monitor it, the online mechanism will be required and, thanks to digital technology, such a complex task will be monitored centrally.
As per the information available in news channels, there are two vaccines which are likely to be used in India soon. One is mRNA Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer and other is Covishield vaccine by Serum Institute. Once these are approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for use in India, then the vaccination would start in phases. There are some technical problems which are associated with this big challenging work like low-temperature preservation of vaccine and monitoring of the patients after vaccination and availability of proper equipment, monitoring methods at the site of the vaccination, especially in remote and inaccessible areas, etc. There has to be perfect coordination between the medical professionals and technical people to make the process smooth for the people opting for the vaccine.
The students who have completed their certificate and diploma courses in healthcare can take advantage of this situation as so many jobs will be popping up at the time of execution of this ambitious vaccination plan and they should look towards those opportunities near their place and should keep a watch in the local newspapers and employment exchanges for information on such jobs related with vaccination. It might be a temporary job but one should understand that it will be a great experience to learn things in such a professional environment. This type of unique experience will help an individual for future job hunting also and I highly recommend it to eligible persons.