New Delhi (NVI): The second phase of the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has begun today for people above 60 years and those aged 45 and above with comorbidities.
For this phase, which is likely to cover close to 270 million beneficiaries, self-registration has opened from 9am onwards on the upgraded Co-WIN website, and will be open till 3pm for same-day appointments.
Vaccine will be available free of cost at government hospitals and at a capped price of ₹250 per dose at private hospitals. The cost will comprise ₹150 for vaccines and ₹100 as operational charges.
Citizens will be able to register and book an appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the Co-WIN 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu.
All citizens that are aged, or will attain the age of 60 or more as on 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 on January 1, 2022, and have any of the specified 20 comorbidities.
This information was shared during the orientation workshop organised by the Union Health Ministry and the National Health Authority (NHA) for the 10,000 private hospitals under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, more than 600 hospitals empanelled under CGHS and other private hospitals empanelled under State Government’s Health Insurance Schemes, on Co-WIN2.0.
According to the Health Ministry, there will also be a facility of on-site registration so that eligible beneficiaries can walk into identified vaccination centres, get themselves registered and inoculated.
Two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, are currently approved for use in India under the ambit of emergency-use authorisation.
-CHK
