COVID-19 vaccination second phase: How to self-register
The second phase of India's coronavirus vaccination drive, which is set to begin from March 1, will be supported by the Co-WIN 2.0 app. The government is planning to launch the updated online portal in the coming days, News18 reports. The eligible population - citizens aged above 60 and those above 45 but with comorbidities - will be able to self-register on the app.
Apart from the Co-Win 2.0 app, the beneficiaries will also have the option to register through the Aarogya Setu app. Further, registration windows will be available in hospitals and Common Service Centers. The registration will be free of cost. Notably, those aged above 45 will be required to upload a medical certificate to prove that they have a specific illness.
The beneficiaries will be given an option to choose the date and location of their nearest vaccination site. Besides, they will have the option to choose between public-run and private centers. The option to update age and a digital certificate will be given after the first dose of vaccination. However, there will be no choice between the two vaccines currently in use in India.
The central government had on Wednesday announced the commencement date for the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination drive. The vaccine shots will be administered at 10,000 government-run centers and 20,000 private centers. While the jabs will be free of cost at the state-run facilities, the charges for vaccination at private centers will be confirmed in a few days.
Meanwhile, Dr. Randeep Guleria, the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said the second phase is crucial as it can help reduce transmission of infection, decrease mortality, and also lower the chances of mutation of the virus. "It is important considering the recent increase in the cases...COVID-19 has not gone away. We are witnessing many super-spreading events," said Dr. Guleria.
"The vaccine will help in decreasing the mortality; it will definitely help in decreasing the severity of illness, and deaths will come down. It will also, to some extent, help in decreasing the number of people getting the infection," he told The Indian Express.
In the first phase of India's COVID-19 vaccination program, the government had set a target of inoculating around three crore healthcare professionals and frontline medical workers. However, only 1.19 crore people had received vaccine doses until Wednesday morning. India has thus far given approval to two vaccines - Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN.
Yesterday, India reported over 17,000 new coronavirus cases, and the country's total case load now stands at more than 1.10 crore. In recent days, several states like Punjab and Maharashtra have reported a significant rise in COVID-19 cases and infection clusters amid fears over mutated strains of the virus and increasing laxity among people in following the virus-related safety guidelines.
