This is an archive article published on May 25, 2021
Centre allows walk-ins for 18+ at govt vaccine centres, admits digital divide
With several states forced to shut down vaccination sites or operate a limited number of vaccination sites due to unavailability and shortage of vaccines, the Centre’s decision to allow walk-ins is likely to have limited impact.
Delhi High Court asked the Centre and Delhi government to undertake publication of all Covid-related information, especially helpline numbers. (File)
MORE THAN three weeks after it rolled out vaccination for the 18-44 age group, where slots could be booked only through online appointment on Co-WIN, the Centre on Monday enabled on-site registration and appointment for this age group at government-run Covid-19 vaccination centres (CVCs).
However, with several states forced to shut down vaccination sites or operate a limited number of vaccination sites due to unavailability and shortage of vaccines, the Centre’s decision to allow walk-ins is likely to have limited impact.
So far, only vaccinations for those above 45 were allowed through walk-ins, with those in the 18-44 age group having to mandatorily register and book a slot through Co-WIN.
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The Centre also said vaccinations at private centres will continue to be through online appointments. “This feature [of walk-ins] will not be available for private CVCs presently and the private CVCs will have to publish their vaccination schedules exclusively with slots for online appointments,” the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.
The Centre said the decision to allow onsite registration and appointments at government vaccination sites for 18-44-year-olds was on the basis of representations made by states, and that the final decision to open up for walk-ins and group registrations rests with states.
The Centre said it considered two points while changing the policy on online appointments for the 18-44 age group at government sites.
First, it said, that in the case of sessions exclusively organised through online slots, there could be cases of doses left unutilised in case the beneficiaries do not turn up for vaccination. “In such cases, on-site registration of a few beneficiaries may be necessary to minimise the vaccine wastage,” it said.
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Second, it considered the fact that beneficiaries without access to the Internet or smartphones “may still have limited access to vaccination”.
The Centre, however, said the new feature will be only “upon the decision of the respective” state governments. “State/UT must decide on the opening of on-site registrations/facilitated cohorts’ registration and appointments for 18-44 years age group based on the local context just as an additional measure to minimise vaccine wastage and for facilitating vaccination of eligible beneficiaries in the age group 18-44 years,” the Centre said.
The Ministry further told the states that “abundant caution should be exercised and extreme due care should be taken” to avoid overcrowding at vaccination centres while opening up of on-site registration and appointment for the 18-44 age group.
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
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