COVID-19: On-site Registration Enabled on CoWIN for 18-plus

To increase vaccination for COVID-19 amongst individuals aged between 18 and 44 years and above, the Union Health Ministry has now enabled on-site registration for this age group on the CoWIN portal.

Currently, this on-site registration feature will not be accessible for private centres. The feature is being enabled for government Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) only. CVCs will need to display their vaccination schedules on the portal along with the online appointment slots. This feature can be used only after the respective state/Union Territory (UT) government decides to go ahead with it.

The feature has been enabled for using a few doses, which have not been used due to online appointee beneficiaries not turning up on the vaccination day for some reason. In such cases, on-site registration of a few beneficiaries may be necessary to minimise vaccine wastage.

CoWIN rendered features such as registration for up to four beneficiaries with a mobile number, allowed registration and appointments via applications such as Umang and ArogyaSetu, through Common Service Centres, etc. However, people who needed the cohort’s facility, who did not have access to the internet, smartphones, or mobile phones, might have had limited access to vaccination.

Steps to follow for registering on the CoWIN portal:

• Visit the CoWIN website, click on Register/Sign in. After clicking on ‘sign in’, you need to add your mobile number and then verify yourself via a one-time password (OTP).
• You will need to enter your details such as name, gender, year of birth, and the photo ID proof you intend to use on completing the verification. After registering yourself, you will schedule an appointment (click on the “Schedule” option, which is placed right next to the name of the registered user).
• Add the pincode of your area, click on ‘Search’ to find the nearest vaccination centre, choose the date and time, and then click on ‘Confirm’.
• When you register for the vaccine through CoWIN, you can add up to four members via a single login. You can also reschedule an appointment.

The Union Health Ministry has also advised states and UTs to be extremely cautious and undertake extreme care while allowing the on-site registration and appointment for 18-44 years age group so that there is no overcrowding at the vaccination centres.

For any clarifications/feedback on the topic, please contact the writer at bhavana.pn@cleartax.in