With India permitting all individuals above the age of 18 to sign up for COVID-19 vaccines from May 1, registrations are set to open shortly. According to news updates that quote officials, registrations for all individuals above the age of 18 will begin from April 28. The app for the portal will be ready by Saturday, April 24. This will have to be undertaken via the CoWIN web portal.
As the government has repeatedly clarified, the CoWIN app is not for usage by those seeking to get inoculated. The app on the Play Store is for use by administrators only, and all beneficiaries must log in via the Aarogya Setu app or more directly, by going to cowin.gov.in. Beneficiaries are encouraged to register themselves and book an appointment before turning up to get the vaccine. However, on site registrations are possible.
Here's what you need to do if you're registering yourself via the CoWIN website:
1. Open the site and click on the 'Register/ Sign In yourself' option.
2. Once the self registration page opens, you will need to enter your mobile number and then type in the OTP that you receive. Alternatively you can also sign in using the Aarogya Setu app or with Umang.
3. Hit the 'verify' button and then enter details including photo ID proof, name, gender etc on the vaccination page.
4. Click on 'Register' and then, once you get the option of scheduling an appointment, click on the 'Schedule' option next to the name of the beneficiary.
5. Search by pin code to find the available centres and then select a date and time before clicking to 'Confirm' your appointment.
A similar process must be followed to reschedule the appointment.
Note that the price structure may change if you're getting vaccinated in May. With the third phase of inoculation set to begin from May 1, the government had recently introduced some changes to their vaccination policy. Now, manufacturers will be required to supply 50 per cent of their monthly doses to the government and the rest to state governments or the open market. As such, the vaccine manufacturers, such as Serum Institute of India have announced new prices for the vaccines, with varying rates for the government and private sectors.
