Registration for next phase of COVID-19 Vaccination to open on March 1

New Delhi, February 28, 2021

The next phase of the vaccination drive against COVID-19, covering people aged 60 or more and those above 45 with specified co-morbidities, will begin tomorrow.

An official press release from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare said that all citizens, who are aged, or will attain the age of, 60 years or more as on January 1, 2022 are eligible to register for the vaccination.

In addition, all such citizens who are aged, or will attain the age of, 45 years to 59 years as on January 1, 2022, and have any of 20 specified co-morbidities are also eligible to register, it said.

Registration will open at 9:00 am on March 1 at the COWIN 2.0 portal.

Citizens will be able to register and book an appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the COWIN 2.0 portal or through other IT applications such as Arogya Setu, the release said.

These details were shared with participants of an orientation workshop organised by MoHFW 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-WIN 2.0.

The modalities of the new features integrated in the CoWIN2.0 digital platformwere explained to them. The private empanelled COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) were also trained on various aspects of the process of vaccination and management of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) through video conference with the support of the NHA.

There will be only one live appointment for a beneficiary at any point of time for each dose. Appointments for any date for a COVID Vaccination Center will be closed at 3:00 pm on that day for which the slots were opened. For example, for 1st March the slots will be open from 9:00 am till 3:00 pm on 1st March, and the appointments can be booked anytime before that, subject to availability. However, on 1st March an appointment can also be booked for any future date for which vaccination slots are available. A slot for second dose will also be booked at the same COVID Vaccination Center on 29th day of the date of appointment of the 1st dose. If a beneficiary cancels a first dose appointment, then appointment of both doses will be cancelled.

The eligible persons will be able to register at the Co-WIN 2.0 portal through their mobile number, through a step by step process. With one mobile number, a person can register as many as four beneficiaries. However, all those registered on one mobile number will have nothing in common except the mobile number. The Photo ID Card Number for each such beneficiary must be different.

Any of the following Photo Identity Documents can be used by citizens for availing of online registration:

Aadhar Card/Letter

Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC)

Passport

Driving License

PAN Card

NPR Smart Card

Pension Document with photograph

A User Guide for the Citizen Registration & Appointment for Vaccination has also been uploaded on the websites of MoHFW and NHA.

A list of all these private hospitals has been uploaded on the website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and National Health Authority. These can be accessed at:

a) https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/CGHSEmphospitals.xlsx

b) https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/PMJAYPRIVATEHOSPITALSCONSOLIDATED.xlsx

It was also explained that the Central Government shall procure all the vaccines and supply them free of cost to the States and UTs who, in turn, will disburse them to the Government and private COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs).

It was re-iterated that all vaccines provided to beneficiaries at the Government health facilities will be entirely free of cost, while private facilities cannot charge the beneficiary a sum above Rs. 250 per person per dose (Rs 150 for vaccines and Rs 100 as operational charges).

Private hospitals are to remit the cost of vaccine doses allotted to them in a designated account of National Health Authority (NHA). Payment gateway for the same is being enabled by NHA on their website.

The Government of India has supplied two COVID-19 vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin, free of cost to the States and Union Territories (UTs) to vaccinate Health Care Workers (HCWs) and Front Line Workers (FLWs) and will also be able to cover the next priority group i.e. 60 years plus age group and the age group of 45 to 59 years suffering from specified co-morbidities.

The States have been requested to operationalize the linkages between the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) (both government & private empanelled facilities) with the nearest cold chain points for ensuring smooth vaccine delivery to COVID-Vaccination Centres (CVCs).

List of Specified Comorbidities for determination of eligibility of citizens in age group 45 to 59 years:

1. Heart Failure with hospital admission in past one year

2. Post Cardiac Transplant/Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

3. Significant Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF <40%)

4. Moderate or Severe Valvular Heart Disease

5. Congenital heart disease with severe PAH or Idiopathic PAH

6. Coronary Artery Disease with past CABG/PTCA/MI AND Hypertension/ Diabetes on treatment

7. Angina AND Hypertension/Diabetes on treatment

8. CT/MRI documented stroke AND Hypertension/Diabetes on treatment

9. Pulmonary artery hypertension AND Hypertension/Diabetes on treatment

10. Diabetes (> 10 years OR with complications) AND Hypertension on treatment

11. Kidney/ Liver/ Hematopoietic stem cell transplant: Recipient/On wait-list

12. End Stage Kidney Disease on haemodialysis/ CAPD

13. Current prolonged use of oral corticosteroids/ immunosuppressant medications

14. Decompensated cirrhosis

15. Severe respiratory disease with hospitalizations in last two years/FEV1 <50%

16. Lymphoma/ Leukaemia/ Myeloma

17. Diagnosis of any solid cancer on or after 1st July 2020 OR currently on any cancer therapy

18. Sickle Cell Disease/ Bone marrow failure/ Aplastic Anemia/ Thalassemia Major

19. Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases/ HIV infection

20. Persons with disabilities due to Intellectual disabilities/ Muscular Dystrophy/ Acid attack with involvement of respiratory system/ Persons with disabilities having high support needs/ Multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness

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