New Delhi, Jan 08: Those eligible for a ‘precautionary’ dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) can schedule their appointments for the extra jab, as the facility to do so is now live on the CoWIN app, informed Vikas Sheel, additional secretary and mission director, National Health Mission (NHM), on Saturday.
“The feature for online appointments for Precaution Dose for HCWs/FCWs and Citizens (60+) is now live on Co-WIN. To book an appointment, please visit cowin.gov.in,” tweeted Sheel.
The opening of slots comes a day after the Union health ministry announced that the facility to schedule appointment for a third dose will open on January 8. The ministry also said that those eligible will not need to make fresh registration on the CoWIN app, adding that once their appointment is scheduled, they can directly go to the vaccination centre, and get jabbed for a third time.
On January 5, Dr VK Paul, Niti Aayog member (health), said that the ‘precautionary’ or booster dose will be of the same vaccine with which a beneficiary was inoculated the first two times.
Booster shots will be administered from January 10, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an impromptu address to the nation on December 25 last year. These will be given to health care workers, frontline workers, and citizens above the age of 60 with comorbidities.
The nationwide vaccination drive against Covid-19 kicked off on January 16 last year. Since then, more than 1.5 billion (150 crore) doses have been administered. Of these, as many as 9,059,360 were administered in the last 24 hours.
