Covid-19: You’ll now have option to walk in, register & get vaccinated | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: As the vaccination drive against Covid-19 is set for a big ramp up from March 1, expanding coverage beyond healthcare and frontline workers, the Centre said the vaccine could be accessed through three routes — advance self-registration, on-site registration and facilitated cohorts.
Details of the next phase of vaccination were discussed at a high-level meeting where the Centre advised states on several processes, including features of Co-Win version 2.0, beneficiary registration options, identity verification and facilities needed at public and private hospitals.
Vaccination will be free of charge at government vaccination centres. Those taking the vaccine at any designated or empanelled private health facility will have to “pay a pre-fixed charge”, the health ministry said.
India will start vaccinating people above 60 years and those over 45 years with co-morbidities from March 1. These are part of an estimated 27 crore people covered in this phase and include those aged 50 plus who will be given the shots a little after the seniors.
Recipients will be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-Win 2.0 app and through other IT applications such as Aarogya Setu, which will list government and private hospitals serving as Covid-19 vaccination centres with the date and time of the available schedules.
However, recipients will also have the option of on-site registrations and the Centre is working to ensure some three lakh community service centres are also utilised to help people not familiar with online means or with limited access to register for the shots.
States and UTs were told about the basic features of version 2.0 of Co-Win, which is a population-scale software with capacity of processing several thousands of entries, the ministry said.
“The new phase of vaccination of age-appropriate groups will expand Covid-19 vaccination in the country manifold. With a citizen-centric approach, the fundamental shift in this phase is that citizens in the identified age groups, as also those healthcare and frontline workers who have been missed out or left out of the present phase of vaccination, can select vaccination centres of their choice,” it said.
States were also asked to ensure that private sector hospitals are involved as vaccination centres to harness their potential to expand the vaccination capacities.
Private hospitals empanelled under the Central Government Health Scheme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana and similar state health insurance schemes will be initially part of the drive.
States and UTs were asked to ensure that private health facilities have adequate space for the vaccination process, as detailed in the comprehensive SOPs issued by the ministry, basic cold-chain equipment, their own team of vaccinators and staff, and adequate facility for management of any adverse events.
The meeting was chaired by health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and chairperson of the empowered group on vaccine administration R S Sharma.
Details of the next phase of vaccination were discussed at a high-level meeting where the Centre advised states on several processes, including features of Co-Win version 2.0, beneficiary registration options, identity verification and facilities needed at public and private hospitals.
Vaccination will be free of charge at government vaccination centres. Those taking the vaccine at any designated or empanelled private health facility will have to “pay a pre-fixed charge”, the health ministry said.
India will start vaccinating people above 60 years and those over 45 years with co-morbidities from March 1. These are part of an estimated 27 crore people covered in this phase and include those aged 50 plus who will be given the shots a little after the seniors.
Recipients will be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-Win 2.0 app and through other IT applications such as Aarogya Setu, which will list government and private hospitals serving as Covid-19 vaccination centres with the date and time of the available schedules.
However, recipients will also have the option of on-site registrations and the Centre is working to ensure some three lakh community service centres are also utilised to help people not familiar with online means or with limited access to register for the shots.
States and UTs were told about the basic features of version 2.0 of Co-Win, which is a population-scale software with capacity of processing several thousands of entries, the ministry said.
“The new phase of vaccination of age-appropriate groups will expand Covid-19 vaccination in the country manifold. With a citizen-centric approach, the fundamental shift in this phase is that citizens in the identified age groups, as also those healthcare and frontline workers who have been missed out or left out of the present phase of vaccination, can select vaccination centres of their choice,” it said.
States were also asked to ensure that private sector hospitals are involved as vaccination centres to harness their potential to expand the vaccination capacities.
Private hospitals empanelled under the Central Government Health Scheme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana and similar state health insurance schemes will be initially part of the drive.
States and UTs were asked to ensure that private health facilities have adequate space for the vaccination process, as detailed in the comprehensive SOPs issued by the ministry, basic cold-chain equipment, their own team of vaccinators and staff, and adequate facility for management of any adverse events.
The meeting was chaired by health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and chairperson of the empowered group on vaccine administration R S Sharma.