The Union government has added a four-digit security code for citizens who have booked a slot for vaccination online on the Co-WIN portal, in order to minimise data entry errors about vaccination status. This came after some instances emerged when citizens who had booked their appointment for COVID-19 vaccination through the Co-WIN portal but did not go for vaccination on the scheduled date, have received an SMS notification that a vaccine dose has been administered to them. Here’s what the new registration process will look like.
1. Log onto the Co-WIN portal. You can either do this on the computer, a laptop or a phone by logging onto: https://selfregistration.
2. The page will prompt you to enter your mobile phone number. After doing so, click on the option, ‘Get OTP’. The website will send you a One Time Password (OTP) in some time. The OTP will be sent to you via SMS. Once you receive it, enter the OTP on the website and click the “Verify” button.
3. The registration page will now open on the portal. You need to fill in your personal details, like your ID proof, gender and year of birth. It is important to note that you must carry the ID that you select when you go to take the vaccine. For example, if you enter your driving license details, you need to carry your driving license to the vaccination centre. If you are above 45 years of age, you need to select the relevant comorbidities that you have. You have to carry a medical certificate at the time of vaccination. Once details are entered, click on the “Register” button at the bottom right of the page.
4. The next page asks you for your “Account Details.” Here, if you so wish to, you can add up to three other people who will be linked to your mobile number. To add people, click on “Add More” button at the bottom right side of the page.
5. With this, your name will get registered on the portal. Now you can schedule your appointment. Click on the ‘Calendar’ icon to book your appointment or click on “Schedule appointment.”
6. The next page will prompt you to search for your nearest vaccination centre for getting vaccinated. There are two ways to search for your nearest vaccination centre — either through pin code or via the drop down menu where you have to fill in the state, district, block and pin code. After filling in the details, click on the “Search” button to find the vaccination centre in the selected location.
7. When you click on the “Search” button, the website will display the list of vaccination centres as per your search criteria. The name of the centre will be displayed on the right side of the page. If you cannot see any centre as per your selection criteria, try to change the pin code or the block you have selected.
8. Once you find a vaccination centre of your choice, click on it and the next available appointment slots will be available. You can see the date and time of the next available appointment, and on the right the age group the centre is currently vaccinating. You will also be able to see which vaccine you will be given at the centre.
9. Once you select your appointment, you will be led to a confirmation page with the details of the appointment. You will see a webpage where under your details, on the right, an option will appear where you can download your appointment slip. Carrying this slip either in the physical or digital form is essential. You will also get an SMS confirming your appointment.
10. Now, as per the new rules, a four-digit security code will be printed in the appointment acknowledgement slip and in the confirmation SMS sent to the beneficiary after successful booking of an appointment. The appointment acknowledgement slip can also be saved and shown from the mobile. This will ensure that for those citizens who have booked an online appointment, the data entries regarding vaccination status of a citizen are recorded correctly, the ministry said in a statement.
11. Citizens must provide the security code to the vaccinator as the digital certificate will be generated only after the vaccination record has been updated with the security code. Citizens should get a confirmation SMS after the process has been successfully completed.
12. The confirmation SMS indicates that the vaccination process has been completed successfully and the digital certificate has been generated. If one does not get the confirmation SMS, one should get in touch with the vaccinator or the vaccination centre in-charge.
13. In case you wish to reschedule the appointment, you can log into the “Citizen Registration” module with your registered mobile number and click on “Reschedule.”
14. After you get vaccinated, you will receive a vaccination certificate on the Co-WIN portal. The certificate will have details of your vaccination centre, the vaccine you received, and the time period between which you should get your next shot. Download this certificate, as it may be required for your second shot.