Keypoints:
- People in the age group of 18-45 will now have to mandatorily register on the CoWin app to get Covid vaccine.
- They will have to seek an appointment to get vaccinated. Walk-ins will not be allowed.
- Registeration to begin from April 28.
Government has allowed the people from the age of 18 to get vaccinated, beginning from May 1. They will now have to mandatorily register themselves on the CoWin app to get vaccinated as walk-ins will not be allowed.
“An increased demand is expected once the vaccination is opened for all. For the purpose of crowd control, registering on CoWIN portal and making an appointment to get a vaccine will be mandatory for those aged between 18 and 45 years. Walks-in will not be allowed in the beginning so that there is no chaos,” an official said.
Official sources have said that walk-in facility has received good response for the people who are 60 plus and 45 plus. This facility will not be provided furthermore from May 1 as the government expects a big jump in the number of vaccinations in phase 3 of vaccination drive at a point where there is limited supply. This measure is also expected to prevent crowding at the vaccination centres.
Senior official has said that phase 3 will consist of a large number of people and it cannot be implemented without proper planning, or else it will result in chaos. Online registration on the CoWin app will help the vaccination centres to plan sessions in advance along with crowd management and supply of vaccines.
Until Saturday 8 pm, India had administered over 14 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine, daily vaccines are on a decline for 3 weeks as of now. On Saturday, 24.22 lakh doses were given till 8pm.
The Centre has issued an advisory to states asking them to augment infrastructure and suggesting proper measures for phase 3. Apart from asking states to publicise the “only online registration” for 18-45 age group, the Centre has also suggested that states should register additional private vaccination Centres (CVCs) in mission mode by engaging private hospitals, facilities in industrial establishments and industry associations. Along with this, it has also asked states to keep a check on the number of hospitals that have procured vaccines and have declared stocks and prices on the CoWin app.
“While the Centre has liberalised the vaccination policy, it does not mean that vaccines will be sold in pharmacists or chemist shops in the open market,” Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had clarified on Wednesday. “The present dispensation where private COVID vaccination centres receive doses from the government and can charge up to Rs 250 per dose will cease to exist,” he added.
