Covid vaccination portal to get an upgrade in Dec
1 min read 25 Nov 2022, 10:46 PM ISTThe upgraded platform will allow authorities to digitally track the vaccination status of all beneficiaries
PremiumNew Delhi: An upgraded version of CoWIN, the health ministry’s coronavirus vaccination platform, will be rolled out next month with new security features and real-time tracking of immunization status of beneficiaries, said a government official, in a move to strengthen the universal immunization programme (UIP).
The upgraded platform will allow authorities to digitally track the vaccination status of all beneficiaries such as children and women, against preventable diseases to ensure all requirements are addressed immediately, the official said, requesting anonymity. Currently, the immunization status of children eligible under the UIP is maintained manually.
In May, Mint reported that the National Health Authority was planning to extend the use of the CoWIN platform for the national programme for vaccinating children and pregnant women against all preventable diseases. “The integration of CoWIN with UIP was supposed to happen in November, but there were delays," the official said. “The digital records will also help us connect the Centre, states and districts without the need of physically moving the files," he said.
Queries to a health ministry spokesperson did not elicit any response till press time.
“The Centre has planned to transfer the UIP on CoWIN by the end of this year. The initiative will take the utilization of the portal to the next level. The Centre is focused on further improving immunization coverage to avoid any outbreak situation," Dr N.K. Arora, the chief of the NTAGI, said.
“CoWIN will digitally store all records of immunization, allowing us to track the number of vaccinated children and whether they received complete vaccination or not. It will help us raise accountability and address immunization gaps immediately," he added.
According to the health ministry, CoWIN was the backbone for the national covid-19 vaccination programme, catering to various functions such as registration, appointment, tracking beneficiaries, and managing vaccine stocks in real time, besides verifying the identity of beneficiaries, vaccination status, and issuing digital certificates instantly.
India’s universal immunization programme is one of the largest public health initiatives worldwide targeting close to 26 million newborns annually and offering vaccination for 12 preventable diseases.
