COVID-19 vaccine: Online appointment for precautionary dose begins Today – Know guidelines

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a statement on Friday that those who are eligible and looking forward to take the third or the ‘precaution dose’ of the COVID-19 vaccine, do not need to make new registration on the CoWIN portal.

Beneficiaries can directly take an appointment or walk into any vaccination centre and get their third dose, the statement read. The government will publish the schedule for the same today. The online facility will begin by today evening, the ministry informed.

As of now, the ‘precaution dose’ of the vaccine will be given only to the frontline workers and senior citizens with comorbidities and the process will begin from January 10. The guidelines clearly states that as of now the same vaccine is to be administered to the beneficiary and no mix-match will be allowed as of now.

The precaution dose will be administered with a gap of nine months after the second dose. Government’s projections says nearly three crore health and frontline workers are estimated to be eligible in January. 2.75 crore people in the 60 plus age group with co-morbidities are projected across the country.

UP, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have most people in this category. Those who received Covaxin as their jab and those who got Covishield as the first two dose will have to take the same vaccine as the third dose.