Government to open CoWin portal for those 18 and above for Covid vaccination from April 24

Registration of all adults who want to enroll in India’s massive inoculation drive will begin in the next 48 hours on the government’s CoWin platform, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority (NHA) RS Sharma announced.

"All those above the age of 18 can register on CoWin by April 24...the vaccination process and documents remain the same," Sharma said.

Besides indigenous vaccines Covaxin and Covishield, Russian vaccine Sputnik V will also be included as an option at some centres, he said.

Sharma requested that people should register and book an appointment first before turning up to get vaccinated. Citizens can register to get vaccinated through the Co-WIN portal by registering through their phone numbers, after which an OTP is sent to their phone for first step verification.

All citizens aged above 18 will be eligible for vaccination starting May 1. This will be phase 3 of the vaccination drive in India, which started on January 15. The drive, which began on January 16, allows on-site registrations, apart from those done through CoWin. Currently, only citizens above the age of 45 were allowed to take the vaccine. On Monday, the Centre made all adults eligible for the jab from May 1 and also allowed sales of vaccine to private players.