Fighting COVID

The second phase of the ongoing COVID-vaccination drive has begun in Jammu and Kashmir. The government has decided to allow elderly people to walk-in and register offline for Covid 19 vaccination at any facility in the union territory. More than 12 lakh people above 60 years of age will be covered in the third phase of the vaccination drive in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier, it was mandatory for people to download CO-Win 2.0 app on their android phones and register for vaccination. Since most of the elderly people living in far-flung areas are tech-illiterate, the government has decided to allow them to register offline at any government facility. All beneficiaries, regardless of the mode of access, must carry any one of the photo ID proof. These include Aadhar Card, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), and Date of Birth certificate. The Photo ID card specified at the time of registration in case of online registration (if not Aadhar or EPIC). According to the state immunization officer, for the general population, there is an app available on Google play store which needs to be downloaded on android phones. People can self-register on this app and then visit the center for vaccination. For people who are not tech-savvy or do not have android phones, they can walk-in into the center. They will be registered on the spot and administered the dose. Health workers at the vaccination centers have been entrusted with the job to facilitate the registration of the elderly for immunization. According to officials, the health workers will help the people in every possible way. If the older people have an android phone, but they are not able to register, the workers will guide them in online registration. In case, people do not have an android phone, the workers will register them offline. The government’s aim is that people should not miss the inoculation drive. On Monday, PM Narendra Modi took the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine setting an example and giving a huge boost to the immunization campaign against the pandemic. The states will have a specific number of mobilisation slots. Certain vaccination centres will have a walk-in-facility: On-site registration, appointment, verification, and vaccination will all be on-site the same day. For this, there will be no need for pre-registering beneficiaries online. After the first dose, the beneficiary will be automatically given a scheduled appointment for the second dose at the same centre. However, if the beneficiary has moved to another city, the appointment can be rescheduled at the nearest vaccination centre in that city.