Rescheduling Covid-19 vaccination session now allowed on CoWIN: Centre

NEW DELHI: While dismissing concerns that booking a Covid19 vaccination slot on CoWIN portal did not guarantee an actual jab, the Centre on Monday acknowledged that in some cases inoculation sessions had been cancelled due to vaccine shortage.

“There have been some media reports suggesting that even a successful booking on the CoWIN platform for a vaccination slot does not assure one of a Covid-19 vaccine jab,” a vaccination “myth buster" by the Union ministry of health and family welfare said on Monday.

It also called such reports “baseless and incorrect, not supported by full information on the matter”.

However, the same statement went on to add that in some cases the district immunisation officers were publishing a session and then in case vaccines were in short supply, such sessions were being cancelled and beneficiaries had to return without taking the shots.

“This definitely caused inconvenience to such beneficiaries who booked their appointments for such vaccination centres or sessions,” the ministry said.

To remove this problem, CoWIN has now provided the feature for rescheduling of vaccination sessions so that the district authorities do not have to cancel the sessions, the government said that such provision has also been made that pre-booked appointments for a session, also get rescheduled when a session is rescheduled.

In such cases now the beneficiary will not have taken a fresh appointment and will also receive an SMS informing them about rescheduling of their session. The system still provides the option of rescheduling or cancellation of an appointment to the beneficiaries.

On the concerns that those vaccinated are not receiving their vaccination certificates, the ministry said that the web link for Covid19 vaccination certificate is available in the text SMS sent to beneficiary after vaccination after successful updation of vaccination status in CoWIN.

It added that states have been advised from time to time that vaccination certificates should be issued to all vaccinated beneficiaries on the same day of vaccination before they would exit the vaccination centre but sometimes there may be a delay of a day.