New Delhi:The COVID-19 vaccination sessions will not be held this Saturday and Sunday in view of the Co-Win digital platform transitioning from Co-Win 1.0 to Co-Win 2.0, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
As India gears up to inoculate people above 60 years and those over 45 years with comorbidities against the infection from March 1, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhusan and chairman of the empowered group on vaccine administration (Co-WIN) Dr RS Sharma chaired a high-level meeting with health secretaries and MDs (NHM) of states and UTs and discussed the vaccination of age-appropriate groups, through a video conferencing.
Health Ministry said that all citizens above 60 years of age and those within the age bracket of 45 to 59 years with specified comorbidities will be vaccinated with Co-WIN 2.0 digital platform.
"The beneficiaries will be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-WIN 2.0 portal and through other IT applications such as Aarogya Setu app," the health ministry said.
The data of all beneficiaries will be captured on Co-WIN 2.0 platform and would be issued digital QR code-based provisional and final certificates.
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The health ministry has also decided to involve private sector hospitals as COVID-19 vaccination centres.
During Friday's meeting, it was told that all the beneficiaries must carry any one of the photo identity document like Aadhar card, electoral photo identity card, certificate of comorbidities for citizens in the age group of 45 years to 59 years, employment certificate. It was further clarified that vaccination will be free of costs at the government vaccination centres whereas those taking the COVID-19 vaccine at any empanelled private health facility will have to pay a pre-fixed charge.
"Till 7 a.m. today, the vaccination coverage was 1,34,72,643 through 2,78,915 sessions. This includes the first dose for 66,21,418 health care workers (HCW), the second dose for 20,32,994 HCW and the first dose for 48,18,231 frontline workers," the health ministry said.
To date, Co-WIN 1.0 digital platform was used to vaccinate 3 crore health care and frontline workers.
Statistics from the ministry further said that 13 states including Chandigarh, Nagaland, Telangana, from the health ministry said that Mizoram, Punjab, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Meghalaya and Puducherry vaccinated less than 40 per cent of registered frontline workers.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has started aggressive and close monitoring on the development over COVID-19 cases after 13 states across India have been witnessing a surge in such cases with new strains. The Health Ministry said that 194 cases of new strains have been detected with 187 UK variant, followed by 6 variant of South Africa and one of Brazil.
The health ministry, however, said that 6 states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat account for 86 per cent of new cases detected in India.
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The health ministry has also asked the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to work aggressively in these states to detect new strains similar to UK, South Africa and Brazil. Statistics from the health ministry said that Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal also attributes the majority of new cases.
With 4902, Maharashtra registered maximum cases in the last 24 hours followed by Punjab (272), Madhya Pradesh (165). As many as 120 deaths have also been reported in the last 24 hours with six states including Maharashtra (56), Kerala (14) and Punjab (13) accounting for 86 per cent of new deaths.
"India's active caseload is 1,55,986 comprising 1.41 per cent of the total positive cases. This is largely attributable to the upsurge in daily new cases in some states and UTs," the health ministry said.
