WhatsApp cannot be used to register for COVID-19 vaccination; govt clarifies

A user guide for the citizen registration and appointment for vaccination has also been uploaded on the websites of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the National Health Authority (NHA).

Moneycontrol News

April 14, 2021 / 08:54 IST

Vaccine

The Centre has clarified the claims that registration for COVID-19 vaccinations can be done through WhatsApp are false and registrations can only be done through the CoWIN portal or Arogya Setu app.

An image claiming that registration for COVID-19 vaccinations can be done through Whatsapp has been circulating on social media. The image tells people to send a message on a given number and their Aadhaar card or any other government ID.

An image claiming that COVID-19 #Vaccination appointment can be booked through #WhatsApp is circulating on social media. #PIBFactCheck: This claim is #Fake.
Registration for #COVID19 vaccination can be done only through the COWIN portal and Arogya Setu app. pic.twitter.com/HmqvpraDlo — PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 12, 2021

Here's how to register for vaccination?

Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the National Health Authority (NHA) has already uploaded a user guide for the citizen registration and appointment for vaccination.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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