COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Goes Live in India for People Aged 18-44 Years: How to Register

COVID-19 vaccine registration in India for people aged between 18 and 44 years will go live from 4pm today (Wednesday, April 28). This will be the phase 3 of the vaccination drive in India that will expand the existing criteria of vaccinating people aged 45 and above. Registration for the COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory and it requires eligible people to have a valid Indian identity proof such as a PAN card or other government ID. India last reported over 350,000 cases in a day, the highest in the world.

The government will kick off the registration process for the people aged between 18 and 44 years at 4pm through the CoWIN portal, as well as the Aarogya Setu and Umang apps, the official MyGovIndia account tweeted on Wednesday. The registration was initially announced to go live from midnight (12am), but it was postponed to 4pm. At the time of writing, the official Aarogya Setu account tweeted that although registration for the CoWIN portal is now open, scheduling vaccination sessions is to be set up by the state governments and private vaccination centres, so it might take a little more time before you can actually make an appointment.

Following the registration, the vaccination drive for all the eligible people will begin from May 1. It will, however, be subject to the availability of the vaccines. Appointments at state government centres and private centres will depend on how many vaccination centres are ready on May 1 for vaccination of the people aged above 18, the MyGovIndia account tweeted.

How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine?

Online registration for COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for people aged between 18 and 44 years, according to the FAQ section on the CoWIN portal. This means that unlike the people aged 45 years and above, people between the ages of 18 and 44 years are not likely to be eligible for an on-spot registration (walk-in appointment).

You need to have a mobile number to register for the COVID-19 vaccination online. The government also requires a valid Indian ID proof. This can be your Aadhaar card, driving licence, PAN card, passport, pension passbook, NPR smart card, or voter ID card (e-elector photo identity card). As mentioned, you can register on the CoWIN portal, or through Aarogya Setu or Umang app.

You can add up to four family members through one registration. However, it is important to point out that if one person aged 45 years or above and others aged between 18 and 44 years want to schedule a combined appointment, then only private paid vaccination centres or vaccination centres as per state government's policy will be made available.

Steps to register for COVID-19 vaccine via Aarogya Setu app

If you do not want to use the CoWIN portal via a Web browser, you can use the Aarogya Setu app on your phone to register for the COVID-19 vaccine. Below are the steps that you can follow to register using the app.

1. Open the Aarogya Setu app.
2. Go to the CoWIN tab from the home screen.
3. Select Vaccination Registration and enter your phone number to get an OTP.
4. Tap Verify. You will be directed to the Registration of Vaccination page.
5. Now follow the same steps as mentioned above for registering through the CoWIN portal.

The vaccination drive currently includes two COVID-19 vaccines, namely Covaxin that has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Covishield that has been developed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca and is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).