Foreigners Eligible for Vaccination; Passports to Be Used As ID: Govt

“This initiative will ensure the safety of foreign nationals residing in India," the Health Ministry said on Monday.

Foreigners Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccination, Passport to be Used as ID: Govt

(Photo: iStock)

Foreign nationals residing in India are now allowed to get registered on the CoWIN portal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the Centre said on Monday, 9 August.

“They can use their passports as the identity document for registration on CoWIN portal. Once they are registered on this portal, they will get a slot for vaccination,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

“This initiative will ensure the safety of foreign nationals residing in India. It will also bring down the possibilities of further transfer of infection from unvaccinated persons residing in India. It will ensure overall safety from further transmission of COVID-19 virus.”

Health Ministry statement

Over 51 Crore COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered So Far

More than 51 crore vaccine doses have been administered since India’s inoculation drive began on 16 January. Before being thrown open to all citizens above 18 years, the vaccination drive was conducted in several phases covering select groups of the population – starting with healthcare and frontline workers, the elderly and vulnerable groups and then those above 45 years of age.

Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin were the first to be given approval in the country for emergency use. Since then, Russia’s Sputnik V and most recently, Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine, were given approval.

India on Monday reported 35,499 new coronavirus cases, taking the country’s tally to 3,19,69,954. The death toll rose by 447 to 4,28,309.

According to Union Health Ministry data, there are currently 4,02,188 active cases across the country, while 3,11,39,457 patients have been discharged so far.