The Government of India is the designated central authority for the procurement and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 (colloquially called COVID-19) vaccines across India.
Residents of India may register online for an appointment to get a vaccine shot at any vaccination center in any location of their choice. These centers are run by governments (both central and state) or private entities, and the availability and price of the jabs vary accordingly.
Vaccination Drive Information in India
In most parts of the country, both in urban and rural settings, the Central government administers COVID-19 jabs at COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) temporarily set up especially for this purpose or at district-level Primary Health Centres (PHCs).
Likewise, state governments have been running vaccination drives across a network of district-level hospitals operated under the state’s health department. In most urban areas, these efforts are supplemented by vaccination centers being operated by private hospitals.
The government offers its vaccine jabs free of cost to all residents who wish to avail themselves of these facilities. Private hospitals, on the other hand, are free to price their jabs based on market forces, within regulatory norms.
Step-by-step Guide to Vaccination Registration in India
Initially, all residents were advised to register online on the designated portal before booking an appointment for a jab, and people under 44 years of age were being discouraged from showing up at a vaccination location without prior booking of a time slot. But now, the central government has opened up offline booking avenues where people even in the 18 to 44 age category can register directly at the centers.
The registration procedure is fairly simple and usually takes about 5 minutes (or less). Registrants just need to follow the steps listed below:
- Visit the official website of CoWIN.
- Tap on “Register” to make a fresh registration or sign yourself in, if you have already registered on the site before.
- Enter your phone number (that you wish to use for registration) and click on “Get OTP”
- You will receive an OTP from the National Health Portal (NHP). Enter this OTP where it is requested and then click on “Verify & Proceed”. You have 180 seconds to confirm your OTP, after which your OTP lapses and needs to be regenerated.
- You will then be prompted to add the details of up to 5 members of your family (including yourself) under one registered mobile number.
- Each member must be registered under a separate entry, using their own unique government-issued ID (Aadhaar card, driver’s license, PAN card, passport, pension passbook, NPR smart card, or voter ID). To register such a family member, enter their ID details, name, gender, and year of birth, and click on “Add”.
- Once all member details have been added, tap on “Schedule” to choose a vaccination centre location and a preferred date and time.
- At the time of writing this blog, the option to choose a preferred vaccine brand (currently, Covaxin, Covishield or Sputnik V are available) is not available to registrants. Vaccines are given based on the availability of vaccines at the registrant’s location.
- An important thing to note is that each vaccination center has restrictions on age group (18-44, 45-60, 60+), so keep this in mind when booking slots for your entire family.
- You may also access the vaccination registration portal through Arogyasetu or Umang apps.
With the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of letting up worldwide, vaccinations are our only line of defense. Register for your today!
