All you need to know about the next phase of COVID-19 vaccination starting tomorrow

The second phase of India’s COVID-19 immunisation drive will begin on Monday and registration on the Co-WIN 2.0 portal will open at 9 am. 

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 60 or more as of January 1, 2022, are eligible to register, in addition to all such citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 45 to 59 years as of January 1, 2022, and have any of the specified 20 comorbidities.

The 20 comorbidities include heart failure with hospital admission in past one year, moderate or severe valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, CT/ MRI documented stroke, diabetes ( >10 years or with complications) and hypertension on treatment, end-stage kidney disease on haemodialysis, diagnosis of any solid cancer on or after 2000 or currently on any cancer therapy for which one will have to submit a medical certificate.

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They will be able to register themselves on Co-WIN 2.0 portal- www.cowin.gov.in, and book an appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere. They can also use other IT applications such as Arogya Setu for the same.

For the enrollment process, Aadhaar Card/Letter, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), passport, driving license, PAN Card, NPR Smart Card or Pension Document with a photograph can be used.

Private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250 per vaccine dose (Rs 150 for vaccines and Rs 100 as operational charges), said the ministry. 

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The government of India has supplied two COVID-19 vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, free of cost to the states and UTs to vaccinate healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) and they will also be able to cover the next priority group i.e. 60 years plus age group and the age group of 45 to 59 years suffering from pre-specified co-morbidities.

A user guide for the citizen registration and appointment for vaccination has also been uploaded on the websites of the Union Ministry of Health and National Health Authority (NHA).

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The states have been requested to operationalise the linkages between the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs)– both government and private empanelled facilities– with the nearest cold chain points for ensuring smooth vaccine delivery to (CVCs).

The ministry has shared the format of the simplified one-page certificate to be signed by any registered medical practitioner.  The certificate can either be uploaded on Co-WIN 2.0 by the beneficiary while self-registering or a hard copy can be carried by the beneficiary to the CVC, the ministry said.