Covid-19 vaccination: CO-WIN app not for public, government clarifies after glitches

NEW DELHI: The Union health ministry on Monday clarified that the Co-WIN app is "only for administrators" and that people who want to book an appointment for Covid-19 vaccination should instead visit the Co-WIN website.
The ministry gave the clarification amid reported glitches in doing registrations as India opened up vaccination for senior citizens and those aged 45 and above with comorbidities.
"Registration and booking for an appointment for vaccination is to be done through Co-WIN Portal: http://cowin.gov.in.," said the health ministry in a tweet.

PM Modi, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Bihar CM Nitish are some of the key personalities that took the vaccine on Monday.
Where to register for Covid vaccine
Citizens can register and book an appointment for vaccination, anytime and anywhere, using the Co-WIN 2.0 portal www.cowin.gov.in or through other IT applications such as Aarogya Setu.
There is also a walk-in provision for the beneficiaries to get themselves registered at the nearby session site to get vaccinated.
The eligible beneficiaries can choose the centre of their choice and book an appointment based on the slots available.
Who are eligible for Covid vaccine in the second phase?
* All citizens that are aged or will attain the age of 60 or more as of January 1, 2022, are eligible to register.
* Those who are aged or will attain the age of 45 to 59 years as of January 1, 2022, and have any of the specified 20 comorbidities.
How to register for Covid vaccine on Co-WIN website
* Citizens can register at the Co-WIN portal through their mobile number.
* A one-time password (OTP) verification will be done prior to registration to ensure the veracity of the mobile number and after registration, an account will be created on Co-WIN for the person.
* The person can access (login) account on Co-WIN using the mobile phone number used at the time of registration.
* Features for adding beneficiaries, editing their details and for booking an appointment(s) will be available in the citizen's account.
* The citizen can delete only beneficiaries as have been added by him/her. If one out of the four beneficiaries registered in an account is vaccinated, only three registrations are left, and so on.
* Till the time of vaccination, all the records of registration and appointment can be edited/deleted by the person making the registration.
* Only when a person gets vaccinated, the record is locked and cannot be edited/deleted.
* A beneficiary then has to select the ID card type and provide the ID card number.
* The photo ID card number for each such beneficiary must be different.
* Either of the following documents can be used for online registration: Aadhaar card/letter, electoral photo identity card (EPIC), passport, driving license, PAN Card, NPR smart card or pension document with a photograph.
* If the age of the beneficiary is from 45 to 59 years, the beneficiary will be prompted to confirm if he/she has any specified comorbidity.
* In such cases, the beneficiary will also be advised to bring the comorbidity certificate signed by a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP).
*Once all the necessary details are recorded, registration is completed, and an acknowledgement (registration slip/token) will be sent to the beneficiary on their registered mobile number.
(With inputs from PTI)