How CoWIN app will let you register for COVID-19 vaccination

In the latter phases of the nationwide vaccination exercise, citizens will be able to self-register on the purpose-built CoWIN application.

Moneycontrol News

January 05, 2021 / 08:59 IST

File image: A nationwide dry run being held to test India's COVID-19 vaccine delivery system (Image: News18)

With the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granting a restricted emergency use authorisation to two COVID-19 vaccines – Serum Institute of India (SII)’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin – the focus has shifted to the mass vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus infection.

The Centre is hoping to vaccinate 25-30 crore people by July, with priority being given to healthcare and frontline workers. This is likely to be followed by senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities. Thus, vaccination of the remaining general population is still some time away.

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However, when the time comes, citizens will be able to self-register on the purpose-built CoWIN application. The platform has been created by the government to help coordinate the massive inoculation process. It will also help health authorities monitoring of coronavirus vaccines in real-time. It is to be noted that the application has not been deployed for use by citizens and the modalities of the process may change.

Also read | Explained: Is CoWIN, India's digital vaccine management solution, ready for a massive rollout?

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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