India is officially transiting to the COVID-19 vaccination drive’s second phase which involves inoculating people over 60 years of age from March 1. On Friday, the Union Ministry announced that the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive will have the facility of on-site registrations that give beneficiaries an option to choose a COVID-19 vaccination centre, book an appointment in advance, and get vaccinated. 

Registrations for the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive are slated to begin from March 1. Those who are eligible will be able to register themselves through the Co-Win portal. To seamlessly handle the new registrations, the Co-win platform will be updated from version 1.0 to 2.0. Additionally, COVID-19 vaccination sessions are put on hold for these two days.  

Co-Win 2.0

The Union Ministry on Friday explained the basic features of the CO-Win 2.0 version to the states and union territories. Co-Win is a mass population-scale application that has the capacity of processing several thousands of entries that can be made during the vaccination drive. 

The health ministry in its statement said, “The new phase of vaccination of age-appropriate groups will expand the COVID 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 workers and frontline who have been missed out or left out of the present phase of vaccination, can select vaccination centres of their choice.” 

Mass-beneficiary groups to be targeted 

The ministry also said that the potential of private sector hospitals will be used in the second phase of the inoculation drive. The Centre assisted the states with the new Cohort Registration mechanism. Under this, the state government and the union territory government will take a proactive lead. 

Additionally, a specific date will be decided to target a large group of potential vaccination beneficiaries. The States and the UTs will make sure that these groups will be mobilized and brought to the inoculation centers without inconvenience. To mobilize these groups, the states will make use of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), ANMs (Auxiliary nurse midwives) and other Women’s Self-Help Groups.  

Under the second phase of the vaccination drive, the vaccination will be conducted at COVID Vaccination Centers (CVCs) that would be government-operated healthcare institutions such as SHCs (Sub Health Centres), PHCs (Public Health Centres), CHCs (Community Health Centres), District Hospitals and Medical College Hospitals. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Phase 2 FAQs: 

How can I self-register for COVID-19 vaccination in the second phase of the inoculation drive? 

A beneficiary will now have the option to self-register using the government-operated CO-Win 2.0 portal and through relevant apps like Arogya Setu etc. On the government portal, the beneficiary will see the government and private hospitals that will be acting as COVID-19 vaccination centres (CVCs) with available schedules. The beneficiary will be able to choose the CVC of their choice and book an appointment for inoculation in advance.   

If I haven’t self-registered for COVID-19 vaccination, what can I do to get vaccinated? 

According to the Union Ministry, for beneficiaries who can’t self-register in advance, the government will provide an ‘on-site registration’ feature through which a beneficiary can walk into an identified CVC to get themselves registered on-site and then get inoculated.  

Will the vaccinations be free in the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive? 

Yes. In the second phase of the drive which will serve people above the age of 60 years and those over 45 years who suffer from comorbidity, vaccination will be completely free of cost at the identified Government Vaccination Centres. Beneficiaries who will be undergoing the vaccination from a designated private healthcare institution will have to pay a prefixed cost.   

What documents will I need to carry to the CVCs to get vaccinated?  

According to Union Ministry’s statement yesterday, a beneficiary who wants to get vaccinated will have to carry a legal photo ID document of proof (preferably Aadhar or EPIC card). Additionally, for people suffering from co-morbidity, a co-morbidity certificate for beneficiaries in the 45-59 years age group will be required. For healthcare and frontline workers, an official identity card or an employment certificate will be required.