CoWIN registration gets underway as 2nd phase of Covid vaccination drive begins

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took the first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine as the second phase of the vaccination drive in India got underway.  

India is inoculating people over the age of 60, and those over 45 with existing health conditions (co-morbidities). It aims to cover 10 crore people across the country. So far in the first phase, more than 1.5 core people have received Covid-19 shots.

Alongside the second phase of inoculation, the Co-WIN platform for registering for the Covid-19 vaccine is live for those people eligible for it. Those falling in the eligible criteria can get themselves registered at https://selfregistration.cowin.gov.in/

Co-WIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network) monitors the inoculation drive and also tracks the listed beneficiaries for vaccination on a real-time basis.

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Govt releases user manual for help in registration

Snapshot of what the self-registration on Co-WIN entails (Image credit: Indian government)

More than 10,000 private hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, more than 600 hospitals under the CGHS and other private hospitals empanelled under State schemes are functioning as vaccination centres.

The government has also shared a user manual for registration and appointment for the vaccination programme.

The second phase of the inoculation programme will be conducted at 10,000 government facilities, with people receiving shots free of charge, and at 20,000 private hospitals where a fee will be charged.

Private hospitals, it is said, can charge up to Rs 250 per dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

India, it may be recalled, granted emergency-use approval to two vaccines -- Covishield, the local name of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, which was developed by Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech. Both require two doses, administered 28 days apart.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the Covid-19 vaccine shot at AIIMS, New Delhi today (March 1, 2021). (Image credit: Indian government)

Technical glitches while registering on Co-WIN

Meanwhile, reports have emerged that the Android app has encountered a glitch regarding the One-Time Password (OTP) verification.

After entering the mobile number, users are supposed to get an OTP to successfully register themselves on the app --- only the Android version in available till now. 

But as per a news story in News18, the Co-WIN mobile app is not sending the OTP to users’ mobile numbers in order to get registered for the vaccine. 

This complaint was also echoed by a few Twitter users who tried to register themselves on the Co-WIN platform.

CoWIN registration done , I can’t move beyond that , not able to chose next step of selection vaccination center , glitches in Govt CoWIN app , what a let down when ppl have been waiting for this this day for vac jab pic.twitter.com/h5yKgqJ7SNMarch 1, 2021

To receive the vaccine, one must register on the app using their mobile number or any other identity documents. The person then needs to visit the vaccination centre on the scheduled date and time and get the inoculation done, following which he gets a certificate.

The Co-WIN dashboard will provide all information including name, age, mobile number, vaccination status, date and time of vaccination, place of vaccination, session site, health facility and name of vaccinator.

The government has also clarified recently that Aadhaar is not mandatory for registration on Co-WIN portal.

For registration, users can upload any one of the officially recognised 12 identification documents.

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