The Union Health Ministry said it had unveiled a feature that allows third party entities such as travel agencies, offices, employers to verify an individual’s vaccination status.
This, it stated, would obviate the need for a physical vaccination certificate.
The feature, as it is called, was enabled on the CoWIN [ cowin.gov.in ] digital platform on Saturday. It could be accessed by clicking on the “Share your vaccination status” sub-link.
The service when queried would return results as “fully vaccinated,” “partially vaccinated,” or “not vaccinated.
It ensured privacy, the government claimed, and could verify a person’s vaccination status without revealing the beneficiary’s protected health data.
‘Flaunt your vaccine badge’
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya promoted the launch of the application via Twitter by inviting people to “flaunt your vaccine badge.”
On Wednesday, the Ministry announced that the number of Indians who’ve got two doses of a vaccine exceeded those who have got only one dose, and heralded it as a “significant achievement.” However, a look at vaccination data shows that this is because of a sharp fall in those taking their first dose, and the country, despite its high net numbers, has for more than month been lagging in reaching the unvaccinated.
India has administered over 115 crore vaccines as on Saturday evening.
‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign
To encourage more of the unvaccinated to get inoculated the government began a ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ (Knock on Every Door) campaign.
“The month-long ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign, announced on 3rd November by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to ensure that all of the adult population is covered with the first dose of COVID vaccine, while those who are due for the second doses are motivated to take the second dose. Healthcare workers are conducting door-to-door vaccinations of eligible people across India with a special focus on districts where less than 50 per cent of the eligible population has been vaccinated,” a Ministry release noted.
India, in the aftermath of the second wave, declared it would fully inoculate all adults—about 94 crore (or 188 crore doses)-- by year-end. With about seven weeks left for the year to end, that would amount to close to 10 crore doses a week. At no point in its vaccination programme, has the country approached that mark and the best it has ever done is 6.7 crore in the week (September 11-17).
While India has covered around 28% of its population with two doses, China has covered 74%, the United States 58%, and the United Kingdom 68%. Only 54% of India has got at least one dose. It is 82% in China, 74% in the U.K. and 68% in the U.S.
