After months of research and trials, the government will be finally laying out a large scale vaccination drive across the country. In its first phase of deployment, the government will be delivering 60 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccination to 30 crore people in the next six months.
The central authority for drug supply and management, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), is currently in the process of examining the applications of vaccinations by Pfizer, Bharat Biotech, and Serum Institute. Once DCGI is done with its due process, the above-mentioned vaccinations will be approved for emergency use authorization(EUA).
As soon as these vaccinations will be given the EUA approval, the government will start the mechanism of this much-needed vaccination drive.
Here are all the answers to the questions around the government’s massive COVID-19 vaccination drive:
#1 Who Will Get The COVID-19 Vaccination First?
The COVID-19 vaccine in India will be first offered to healthcare workers, front-line workers and persons above 50 years of age. Depending on the disease epidemiology and vaccine’s availability, the remaining population will be vaccinated later on.
The vaccine for COVID-19 will be first offered to front-line workers that include people from state and central police, personnel from the armed forces, defense and disaster management volunteers and healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly during the pandemic. Another group of people that will be prioritized in terms of being the vaccination offered will be people with the age of 50 or more than that.
#2 Is it compulsory for me to get COVID-19 vaccination?
According to the guideline laid down by the center, vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary.
However, the guideline states that “it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of COVID-19 vaccine for protecting one-self against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to the close contacts including family members, friends, relatives and co-workers.”
#3 Can I get myself vaccinated without any registration?
No. To be vaccinated it is compulsory for you and anyone else to be registered.
#4 I want to get myself registered. What are the documents I need for the registration?
The only document you need to get yourself registered will be a photo ID from any of the below-mentioned modes of identification:
- Driving License
- Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card
- Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
- PAN Card
- Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office
- Passport
- Pension Document
- Service Identity Card issued to employees by Central/ State Govt
Public Limited Companies
- Voter ID
#5 I have already recovered from COVID-19, do I still need to get vaccinated?
According to the center’s guideline, irrespective of your history with the infection, it is advisable for everyone who is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination to receive it in its complete schedule This will help you in developing a strong immune response against the virus.
#6 How will I find out that I’m eligible for the vaccination?
As mentioned above, the vaccine will be first provided to the healthcare workers and front-line workers. Persons above 50 age group may also begin to be considered based on the availability of the vaccine. To avoid any potential confusion and inconvenience, the eligible individual will be informed through the registered phone numbers regarding the schedule and the place where the vaccination will be provided.
#7 How will I know the information about the vaccination’s due date?
After the online registration, the potential recipient of the vaccination will receive a text message on their registered mobile number on the date, time, and place of their vaccination.
After all the doses of the vaccinations are administered, the recipient will get a QR based certificate on their registered phone number about the completed status of their vaccination.
#8 Okay. Sounds good, so how do I register for COVID-19 Vaccination?
If you are not a health-care or front-line worker, and you wish to register yourself for the COVID-19 vaccination, you can do so by the registration module in the CO-Win app on your phone. However it should be noted that the app is still not released yet,
#9 Will the COVID-19 Vaccines be safe as it is being introduced in such a short span of time?
According to the center, the vaccination will be introduced to the masses only after it is approved by all the concerned regulatory bodies on the parameters of safety and efficacy.
