India has been vaccinating its population for Covid those that are over the age of 45 until now, and now the government is all set to start vaccinating the vast majority of the population that is above the age of 18.
While the vaccination of all adults in India will begin on May 1, the pre-registration to get the vaccine is now live. Adults over the age of 18 in India can register to take the vaccine by registering on either the CoWIN 2.0 app, Aarogya Setu app or the Umang App.
There are two variants of Covid vaccine available in India, the Covishield, which is the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine that is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). And the other is Covaxin, which is developed locally by Bharat Biotech.
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How to register for the Covid vaccine
The primary source to register for the vaccine is the CoWIN portal by the government. There's also an app that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, but there is no iOS app yet.
Log into the website by entering your phone number to receive the OTP (have patience, it may be delayed). Once you are logged in you are asked to enter the details of the first individual in the account. You can have up to four individuals registered from one account, which means every family member will not need a separate account.
Once the details of all the members are added and they are added to the account, tap the schedule button on all those individuals needed and schedule the first dose. This gives you the option to select both government as well as private facilities. The time interval between CoviShield jabs is four-eight and for Covaxin its four-six weeks.
On the Aarogya Setu app users have to select the CoWIN button and then opt for 'Vaccination' followed by 'Register Now'. Users are asked to enter their mobile numbers for the OTP, which is then used to enter details like inoculation centre and candidate information.
As for the Umang app, users need to look for the 'Registration for COVID-19 vaccine' banner which will redirect them to the CoWIN page. This is where the details can be entered and the vaccination certificate can also be downloaded.
Pricing and other details
The Central government has revised the pricing of the Covid vaccines in India for those above the age of 18 and below 44. For those that are 45 and above still have to pay Rs 250 in private centers unless mentioned otherwise.
The Covid vaccine is free in all central government run hospitals across the country. For the rest, the pricing of the Covishield which is the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine is Rs 400 to states and Rs 600 to private hospitals, per dose. While Covaxin has been priced at Rs 1,200 per dose to the private hospitals and Rs 600 to the state.
| Vaccine | State price | Private price |
| Covishield (AstraZeneca-Oxford) | Rs 400 | Rs 600 |
| Covaxine | Rs 600 | Rs 1,200 |
But some states will be offering the Covid vaccine for free to people. These states include Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerela, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
People can get the Covid vaccines at Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, and 600+ hospitals under CGHS. Do remember that people between the age of 18 and 44 are not eligible for on-site registration, but those above 45 are. Finding where to get your jab is convenient with the CoWIN or the Aarogya Setu app which show nearby centers using GPS. Nearby hospitals can also be found on Google Maps.
Users use any government ID, including a driving licence, Aadhaar Card, and voter ID to register for the vaccine and need to bring a physical copy when going for the vaccine jab.
After a single jab, people can download their Covid vaccination certificate on either Co-WIN, Aarogya Setu, DigiLocker, and other apps, using their 14-digit beneficiary reference ID.
