The COVID19 vaccination registration for the adolescents is scheduled to commence from January 1, 2022. Last week, on December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that citizens in the 15-18 age group could get their first dose of COVID19 vaccines from January 3, 2022.

Adolescents in this age group will be eligible to register on the central government’s CoWIN portal in order to get inoculated against COVID19 which means that those born in 2007 and earlier shall be eligible to register for their COVID19 vaccine slots.

For such beneficiaries, option for vaccination would only be available for Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin as it is currently the only vaccine with Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL) for the age-group 15-18.

Also Read: Vaccine hesitancy cannot be dealt with mandatory vaccination

As per the Union health ministry’s guidelines, beneficiaries can self-register online through an existing account on CoWIN using their school ID cards. Children can use their parents’ existing CoWIN accounts for registration. They can also register after creating a new account through a unique mobile number. Such beneficiaries can also be registered onsite by the verifier/vaccinator. Appointments can be booked online or onsite (walk-in).

All beneficiaries irrespective of their income status are entitled to get jabbed for free at government vaccination centres. However, those who visit private hospitals or vaccination centres have to pay the requisite fees.

Step-by-step guide for COVID vaccine registration

Here is how you can register for COVID19 vaccination through the CoWIN portal.

Step 1: Log on to https://www.cowin.gov.in/home and click on the “register/sign-in” option.

Step 2: Enter your mobile number and generate OTP. Verify it.

Step 3: Register yourself by filling in your name, age, and gender.

Step 4: Select a vaccination centre of your choice, date and time and “Confirm”.

Step 5: Click on the ‘book’ button.

After this, you will receive an appointment slip which will have to be shown at the vaccination centre.

In India, the majority of the Indians have received either of the two vaccines, claims the Union health ministry. About 90 per cent of the eligible population has received the first dose of COVID19 vaccine and more than 63 per cent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.

In the wake of the Omicron threat, the central government has now expanded its vaccination campaign for children aged 15-18 years. So far, 1,270 Omicron cases have been detected across 23 states/Union Territories in India. Maharashtra has reported the highest cases at 450. It is followed by Delhi (320), Kerala (109), Gujarat (97), Rajasthan (69), and Telangana (62).

Also Read: Explained: How serious is the infection caused by Omicron variant of COVID19