How to Register for Covid-19 Vaccine in India?

In the last year, the world has been ravaged by a force unlike anything seen ever before. The coronavirus pandemic spread at the rate of knots, bringing businesses, sports, and life as we know it to a screeching halt. With the increasing number of cases and casualties worldwide, the pandemic will go down as one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the human species.  The world was whipped into a frenzy with myths about the coronavirus floating around social media. Towards the end of 2020, news broke that a vaccine had finally been synthesized and that the end to the nightmare was in sight.

 

Fast forward to 2021, and the vaccination drive is in full flow in India. This article takes you through everything you need to know about the Covid-19 vaccine and how you should go about getting your dose. Finally, it is essential to keep in mind to choose the right health insurance plan.

 

Benefits of the Covid-19 Vaccine

While the coronavirus vaccines are not infallible, they go some way towards providing your body with the crucial antibodies it requires to fend off the infection. While the vaccine can provide you with higher immunity to the Virus over a period of time, it is always advisable to stay safe and healthy throughout the process as you might experience some discomfort. This is mainly as your body is beginning to adapt and learn to fight the virus.

 

In their clinical trials, several of the vaccines performed admirably well, fending off the virus. This would essentially mean that once the vaccine is administered, the individual would be at the very lowest risk of contracting the virus, allowing them to resume their normal lives to the best extent that they can while maintaining standard procedures. The vaccine is undoubtedly the world’s ticket back to relative normalcy.

 

What Options are Available?

There are two types of coronavirus vaccine on offer in India; Covaxin and Covishield, both of which have proven highly efficient in stopping the infection from the virus. However, the two vaccines are inherently very different.

 

Covaxin was developed by Hyderabad-based firm Bharat Biotech International Ltd, in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology. An “inactivated vaccine”, Covaxin is developed using Whole-Virion Inactivated Vero Cell-derived technology; a technique that involves using inactivated or dead viruses to teach the human body to produce the necessary antibodies to ward off the virus. The most common side effects of the virus include mild itching and pain along with fever, headache, and general malaise.

 

The Covishield vaccine was developed by the Oxford-AstraZeneca and is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. This vaccine has been prepared using the viral vector platform technology, which involves using another virus that has been modified to carry the Covid-19 protein spike into the human cells, to encourage them to produce the antibodies. Similar to Covaxin, Covishield receivers also tend to experience fever, headache, and general malaise as common side effects.

 

How to Apply for the Vaccine?

The rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in India began with health and front-line workers and continued with citizens over the age of 60 or those above the age of 45 with comorbidities. Now, in the next phase of the rollout, all individuals over the age of 45 are eligible for the vaccine. This section will guide you on how to register for the Covid-19 vaccine in India. Registrations for the vaccine take place using the CoWin portal or the Arogya Setu application. Several individuals wonder how to register for the covid-19 vaccine on one of these portals and book slots for vaccination in nearby hospitals.

 

Step 1: Open Cowin.gov.in or download the Arogya Setu app

Step 2: Enter your desired mobile phone number and select the option for the One Time Password (OTP)

Step 3: Verify your identity using the OTP sent to your mobile number.

Step 4: Navigate to the CoWin tab on the Arogya Setu app.

Step 5: Next, navigate to the Vaccinations tab

Step 6: Fill up the registration form that shows up, with details such as Photo ID, proof of identification, address, and age.

Step 7: If you are an individual who suffers from comorbidities, click yes when asked if you have any comorbidities. Ensure that you carry medical certificates with details about said comorbidities while getting your dose.

Step 8: Once registered, the system will allow you to add up to four more individuals on one mobile number. Simply click the Add button to add their details.

Step 9: Schedule your appointment by clicking the calendar icon.

Step 10: Fill in the required location details and then click on the search button.

Step 11: Choose your preferred center from the list and select the appointment slot.

Step 12: Confirm your details when prompted by the system and save the Appointment Successful page for proof of the same.

 

Health Insurance Options for Covid-19

The fears of contracting the novel coronavirus come hand in hand with the fear of enormous hospitalization expenses. Existing health insurance plans did not include cover for expenses due to complications for Covid-19, thereby not allowing customers to enjoy all of the benefits of health insurance. To combat this, in recent months several insurance firms have come up with both individual health insurance plans and family health insurance plans to cover hospital expenses due to Covid-19. A couple of examples of such policies are the Corona Kavach and the Corona Rakshak health plans.

 

These mediclaim policies cover the costs of PPE kits, ventilators, masks, gloves, and a number of other items that may not be covered by regular policies. Buying the best health insurance plans for your needs and balancing the cover with the health insurance premium, takes patience and a fair amount of research.

 

How to Apply for Health Insurance?

The Corona Kavach plan was designed to cover hospitalization costs and other medical expenses surrounding covid-19 as well as any comorbid complications occurring as a result of the virus. The Corona Kavach Family Floater plan costs anywhere from Rs. 50,000 - Rs 5,00,000 lakh, for a period of 3.5 to 9.5 months. Here are the steps on how to buy a corona kavach plan or mediclaim policy or other such plans for you and your family. There’s also an option to opt for a cashless mediclaim policy.

 

Step 1: Visit the website to check for different health insurance plans that cover Covid XE Variant needs.

Step 2: Explore the various available plans to select the perfect one that meets your needs.

Step 3: Provide basic information such as your age, your contact information, and your policy requirements.

Step 4: Pay the premiums for the plan online, through the merchant’s payment portal.

Step 5: Once registered, a confirmation and a soft copy of the documents will be sent to your email address.

 

Conclusion

With the coronavirus pandemic in its final phases, it remains a top priority to vaccinate as much of the population as possible, curb the spread of the disease, and allow for life to return to normal. That being said, it may still be important for individuals to procure health insurance policies that cover expenses stemming from the virus, while they wait for their turn to get vaccinated.