In 2nd Phase, People Can Choose When, Where To Get Vaccinated But Not Their Choice Of Vaccine

India which is currently rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, starting with frontline health workers across the country will be providing the life-saving injections to the wider, general public in the coming months.

According to reports, in the second phase, those aged above the age of 50 and are in the high-risk category will be vaccinated.

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PM Modi to take the vaccine?

There are also reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief Ministers who fall under the age bracket will be vaccinated in the second phase, as early as March.

In the second phase, the country aims to immaculate some 270 million people, whereas 30 million health care and frontline workers were vaccinated in the first phase.

Several states have already begun the process to identify and register the recipients for the second phase.

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Co-WIN App

The drive will be coordinated and tracked through CO-WIN software, an online platform for monitoring COVID-19 vaccine delivery.

According to the Union Health Ministry in the second phase, more session sites, more sessions per site and change in site location has now been allowed.

Further, planning and scheduling sessions for the entire week has been enabled. Also, for enhanced safety of the beneficiaries, tagging of contraindications is being enabled in the vaccinator module.

According to Ram Sewak Sharma, chairperson of TRAI and head of the empowered group on technology and data management in India's anti-Covid campaign. ¡°We have to provide freedom to people to get their vaccinations at the place and date of their choice. This will be facilitated through Aarogya Setu portal and other platforms."

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He told The Times of India that these platforms will be linked with the Co-WIN app for recipient details and recording of other vaccination-related information. Co-WIN will remain the IT platform through which the government will track vaccinations at thousands of sites as also the supply management chain.

Choose between Covishield and Covaxin

While the government is allowing people to choose when and where to get vaccinated, it is unlikely to allow recipients to choose between Covishield and Covaxin.

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In the first phase, despite the opposition from some doctors and other healthcare workers, the government said that the recipients cannot choose between the two vaccines.