Govt recommends citizens to get vaccinated. Check eligibility, required documents here

The union health ministry already urged citizens eligible for the emergency vaccine to get vaccinated irrespective of their history of contracting Covid-19 in last December, though it made it clear that the vaccination drive will be voluntary. The government has highlighted that citizens need to register themselves for vaccination. The health ministry on Tuesday pointed out that healthcare workers and frontline workers would not need to register for the vaccination.

“Healthcare workers and frontline workers would not need to register themselves as a beneficiary as their data is in a bulk database which has been populated on the Co-WIN vaccine delivery management system in a bulk manner,” union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The government believes that upon receiving a complete schedule of the anti-coronavirus vaccine will allow the body to build a strong immune response against the disease. Health ministry has also outlined that after receiving the second dose of the vaccine on a protective level of antibodies generally develops in 14 days while answering several frequently asked questions (FAQs) on its website with connection to the vaccination drive in December.

“Vaccination for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of the vaccine for protecting oneself against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to the close contacts,” the health ministry said.

The government has already granted approval to two Covid-19 vaccines last week. Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has been granted restricted emergency approval.

The blueprint of the vaccination programme says that over 30 crore healthcare personnel and frontline workers will receive the vaccine as soon as it is rolled out. Following the vaccination of the essential workers, elderly people above the age of 50 will get vaccinated.

The ministry said that eligible vaccine recipients will receive an SMS on their registered mobile number sharing the details of the due date, place and time of vaccination.

The following documents will be required for registering for vaccination:

• Driving licence,

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) job card,

• PAN Card,

• Bank Passbook,

• Passbook issued by the Post Office

• Pension Document

• Service identification card issued to employees of central government, state government or public limited companies,

• Voter ID Card

A QR code certificate will be issued to the vaccine recipient along with an SMS confirming that the recipient has been administered all the vaccine doses.

The health ministry has also urged recipients to contact nearest health authorities, Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers if they experience any difficulties. “We request you to rest at the vaccination centre for at least half an hour after taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Inform the nearest health authorities/ANM/ASHA in case you feel any discomfort or uneasiness subsequently,” the ministry said.

The government continues to urge citizens to follow Covid-19-appropriate behaviour despite preparations for the vaccination drive. The government stresses that people still need to remain vigilant as the nation continues to record daily cases and deaths due to Covid-19.