Explained: Centre’s guidelines for ‘precautionary’ Covid shots for priority groups
The additional shots will be administered to three priority groups—healthcare workers, frontline workers and those above 60 years who have co-morbidities.
The guidelines state that when beneficiaries become eligible for the additional dose, Co-WIN will send out text messages informing them. (File photo)
The Centre on Monday issued guidelines for the “precautionary” doses against Covid-19 that will be administered to three priority groups—healthcare workers, frontline workers and those above 60 years who have co-morbidities.
The drive will be rolled out starting from January 10 next year.
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Who will be eligible for the “precautionary” doses?
The health ministry has said that healthcare workers, frontline workers and citizens above 60 years with comorbidities will be eligible for the “precautionary” doses.
More importantly, the guidelines state that beneficiaries can take the additional jab only nine months—that is 39 weeks—between the second dose was administered to them.
Will the government inform beneficiaries if they are eligible?
The guidelines state that when beneficiaries become eligible for the additional dose, Co-WIN will send out text messages informing them that their third shot is now due.
Do beneficiaries have to carry any co-morbidity certificate to the vaccination centre ?
Since the “precautionary” doses will be administered on doctors’ advice, beneficiaries need to carry the co-morbidity certificates to the vaccination centres. However, the beneficiary does not need to upload any doctor’s recommendation on the Co-Win platform before booking vaccination slots.
Yes. Beneficiaries can either book their slots online or walk into a vaccination centre to get jabbed. So, it is not mandatory to book slots on Co-Win. However, beneficiaries have to check beforehand the list of vaccination centres offering walk-in facilities.
Will the government issue another vaccination certificate?
The guidelines state that after beneficiaries take the third dose, the details will be suitably reflected in their vaccination certificates.
Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health.
His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award.
Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time.
Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More
