Is Co-WIN App Necessary to Get COVID Vaccines? RS Sharma Answers

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
Video Producers: Kanishk Dangi and Hera Khan

Is CoWIN app necessary to get coronavirus vaccine? Does the app have glitches? Are COVID vaccines getting expired?

RS Sharma, Chairman of the Empowered Panel for COVID vaccination in India, spoke exclusively to The Quint's Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia and answered several questions about the government's CoWIN app.

CoWIN app is the digital platform rolled out by the Centre to manage the COVID-19 vaccination programme. The app will be a one-stop digital platform to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. Users will need a photo ID – aadhaar card, driving license or PAN card – to register themselves on it. 

“We have vaccinated more than 1 crore people in India. We need to increase the vaccination drive...We are trying to make it easy for people to participate,” Sharma said.

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the registration process that sharma answered.

Is it necessary to register only on the Co-WIN app?

No, registrations or ‘pre bookings’ for the COVID-19 vaccine can also be done on the Aarogya Setu app.

What do I do if I don’t have a smartphone to install either of these apps?

Provisions will also be made for individuals to register on somebody else’s behalf, which means one can register via somebody else’s phone. Call helpline numbers for mobile phones and landlines will also be made available to register via phone call.

Is it possible to get vaccinated without having registered on either of the apps?

While the provisions for any possible ‘walk-in’ vaccination facilities have not been chalked out by the government, the respective insitution, hospitals and medical centres will be given the liberty to allow vaccines to be administered without necessarily having to pre register.

What documents will be required  for registration?

Any government-approved photo identity card, which has the person’s picture, name and date of birth like voting card, aadhaar card, driving license, and the likes will be acceptable.

Is the Vaccination Drive Slow?

Commenting on the reports of glitches in the Co-WIN app slowing down the vaccination process, Sharma said that there were a few glitches in the initial days but there aren’t any now.

“The first two to three days, there were issues with CoWIN but they were resolved. The problems, in fact, were with the hospital data, not CoWIN,” he said.

“Our digital system is prepared for 1 crore COVID vaccinations per day. We won’t face any issue,” he added.