As the Covid-19 vaccination drive is set to begin on January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to activate the digital platform Co-WIN to facilitate smooth implementation of India's ambitious inoculation campaign.
Co-WIN, which stands for Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network, is an extension of the government’s eVIN network. It will be launched solely for the upcoming Covid-19 vaccination drive to track and monitor beneficiaries across the country. Registration on the Co-WIN app is mandatory to receive a vaccine.
Initially, however, the accessibility of the Co-WIN app will be limited to the healthcare staff to enable them to provide a database regarding their vaccination and receive information around it, according to a report by The Times of India.
“Co-WIN will be available to the general public in the form of an online website as well as a mobile application within a month,” an official told the publication.
Here is what you need to know about the app and how to register.
Availability
Don’t scan Google Play Store or Apple Store for it yet, because the app has not been released. If there are any other apps with the same name, do not download them or provide them with any personal data.
The Co-WIN app is still in the pre-product stage, and over 75 lakh health officials, those who are part of the top priority group to get vaccinated, have already been registered on it.
How to register
Since the app is in the pre-product phase, common citizens cannot register yet. But once it is available to download for the common public, it will have four modules — User administrator module, beneficiary registration, vaccination and beneficiary acknowledgement, and status updation.
When the app starts running, there will be three options to register: self-registration, individual registration and bulk registrations. It is not yet clear how these will be implemented.
What documents do you need?
To register on the app, you will need photo identification. The documents that work include Aadhaar Card, Driving Licence and PAN card among others.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has announced that the Covid-19 vaccine will be free for all frontline workers. How much it will cost the general public is yet to be revealed.