The Union Health Ministry on Friday announced options for advance self registration, on-site registration and facilitated cohort registration for potential beneficiaries of the second round of COVID vaccinations, starting on March 1.
The second round of vaccination will cover those over 60 years of age and 45+ with comorbidities.
Choice of centres
Giving details of the simplified process of registration through three routes, the Ministry said the beneficiaries will be able to self register in advance by downloading the Co-Win 2.0 portal and through other IT applications including Arogya Setu. This will show the government and private hospitals serving as COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) with date and time of the available schedules. The beneficiary would be able to choose the CVC of his/her choice and book an appointment for vaccination.
On-site registration will allow those who cannot self register in advance to walk into the identified CVCs and get themselves registered on-site and then vaccinated.
The Ministry added that under the facilitated cohort registration, the State/UT Government will take proactive lead.
“Specific date(s) for COVID vaccination will be decided where target groups of potential beneficiaries will be vaccinated. The State/UT health authorities will ensure that the target groups are actively mobilised and brought to the vaccination centres,” the Ministry’s release said.
Issue of certificates
It added that under all the three routes, all beneficiaries would be captured on Co-WIN 2.0 platform and would be issued digital QR code based provisional (on receiving the first dose) and final (on receiving second dose) certificates.
“These can be downloaded from the link shown in the SMS [which] the beneficiary shall receive after the vaccination. Print out of these certificates can also be taken from the Vaccination Centres,” the Ministry said.
COVID vaccination will be free of charge at the government vaccination centres and the beneficiary will have to show a photo ID document for proof of age (preferably Aadhar card or EPIC card) and certificate of co-morbidity (if required). Those taking the COVID vaccine at any designated/empanelled private health facility will have to pay a pre-fixed charge.
States to monitor
The Ministry has directed States/UTs to keep a vaccination scale-up plan ready both within the government and private facilities and also the number of vaccine doses administered.
It added that all beneficiaries, regardless of the mode of access, must be advised to carry any one of the photo ID document including — Aadhar Card, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), Photo ID card specified at the time of registration in case of online registration (if not Aadhar or EPIC), certificate of co-morbidity for citizens in age group of 45 years to 59 years (signed by a registered medical practitioner) and employment certificate/ Official Identity Card — (either but with photo and date of birth) for health care and frontline workers.
Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan along with R.S. Sharma, chairman of Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration (Co-WIN) and member National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of COVID-19 (NEGVAC), chaired a high-level meeting on Friday with Health Secretaries and senior officials of States and UTs on the vaccination of age-appropriate groups through a video conference.
“The fundamental shift in this phase is that citizens in the identified age groups, as also those healthcare workers and frontline who have been missed out or left out of the present phase of vaccination, can select vaccination centres of their choice. Also private sector hospitals will be involved as COVID vaccination centres to harness their potential to expand the vaccination capacities,” said the Ministry.
It added that States/UTs have been asked to ensure that the private health facilities mandatorily must have adequate space for the vaccination process as detailed in the comprehensive SOPs issued by the Ministry, basic cold chain equipments for storing the vaccine vials, own team of vaccinators and staff and adequate facility for management of any adverse event after immunisation cases.
