Co-WIN, the government of India’s COVID-19 vaccine tracking and registration app will go live today, alongside the second phase of inoculation drive in the country for people above 60 years of age and those over 45 with co-morbidities. The second phase starts less than a month after the government commenced its vaccination programme for frontline health workers and select beneficiaries on January 16. The vaccination process in India is being monitored via the Co-WIN app and portal, available only to administrators and beneficiaries. Citizens who have received the two vaccine shots to date can get the COVID-19 vaccine certificate via the Co-WIN portal and Aarogya Setu app.

Currently, some details about the vaccination drive via Co-WIN remains unclear, and we’ll get a better picture once the app is available for all users. Meanwhile, News18 also spoke to RS Sharma, chairman of the Co-Win panel, to understand the government’s plan on the next phase of vaccination drive and its modalities.

How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India: RS Sharma, in the interview, said that eligible beneficiaries would be able to self-register from March 1 or March 2. Citizens can use portals such as the Co-WIN app, Aarogya Setu app or Co-WIN website (cowin.gov.in) for registration. Notably, there’s also a provision where people will have a walk-in system till the time the registration system is used by more and more people.

What is required for COVID-19 registration: The government explains that citizens will need to register on the Co-WIN app via their mobile number, following which they would receive an OTP. After registering on the app, users would need to provide information such as name, age, gender, and an identity document that needs to be carried to the vaccine centre. The Co-WIN app can register as many as four family members. As mentioned, the existing Aarogya Setu would also seemingly get the same benefits. Recently, the app got a dedicated Co-WIN section that provides statistics and access to links where beneficiaries can receive certificates.

All about the Co-WIN app: The development over the COVID-19 vaccine tracker and registration, the Co-WIN app was announced last year. The government had then explained that citizens who are not frontline health workers would be able to register for the vaccine via the ‘Registration Module’ within the app. The admins via the ‘Administrator module’ will then track the information provided by citizens of India. The Vaccination module of the Co-WIN app will verify the beneficiary details and update vaccination status. The ‘Beneficiary Acknowledgement Module’ will send an SMS to beneficiaries and also generate QR-based certificates after one completes the vaccination process. Lastly, the Report Module will prepare reports of how many vaccine sessions have been conducted, how many people have attended those, how many people have dropped out etc.

Other details you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine in India: RS Sharma has told NDTV that the Co-WIN app will not allow citizens to choose which vaccine they will get. They can choose the date and COVID-19 vaccine centre. Additionally, people aged above 45 years will have to upload a medical certificate mentioning their co-morbid conditions. The government is yet to specify the conditions that would be included in the over-45 age group with comorbidities.

Many private hospitals have also received certification to act as COVID-19 vaccine centres where they cannot charge more than Rs 250 per shot. COVID-19 vaccines are free of cost in government hospitals. Citizens who are not tech-savvy or do not own a smartphone can call the centre number — 1507. As mentioned, they can walk-in to the nearest centre and if there’s a vacancy.