The Union Health Ministry has activated a service on the CoWIN portal that allows anyone to check an individual's vaccination status with the person's registered mobile number and name, followed by an OTP for consent. The service could be utilised by a service provider -- private entities such as travel agencies, offices, employers, entertainment agencies or government agencies such as IRCTC -- for whom verifying a person's vaccination status is critical for facilitating a service requested by the citizen, an official said.
The new feature, 'Know Your Vaccination Status', will help to verify and retrieve a citizen's vaccination status and details by an authorised entity, the Health Ministry said in a statement. The service is being built to help citizens who may not have the vaccine certificate available in digital or paper form for availing a requested service, and can support the service provider to verify the vaccination status/vaccination digital record of the citizen as per the authorised permission of the requesting entity.
The service can be utilised by travel agencies and help make travel safe for individuals by allowing travel only for vaccinated individuals. Employers can use this service to verify vaccination status of employees and resume work in offices, workplaces, etc. This service will help in resuming and catalysing the economic activities in the country, health ministry officials said.
Vaccinated people can also share their vaccination status on social media and inspire others to take the jab. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted: "Now flaunt your vaccine badge! Share your vaccination status with your friends & family through CoWIN portal with 2 easy steps: Enter name & mobile no; Enter OTP. Inspire people to get vaccinated & defeat COVID-19."
National Health Authority CEO R S Sharma said in a tweet: "Now download the fully / partially vaccinated badge from CoWIN (cowin.gov.in) & share it with your friends on all your social platforms! Encourage your family and friends to follow you and #FightCovid."