India is preparing to launch the largest segment of its nationwide inoculation drive against the coronavirus on May 1. This third phase of the vaccination campaign will focus on administering the COVID jab to citizens above 18 years of age, expanding the scope of the immunity drive for all adults. The registration option for this ambitious drive is all set open on April 28, 2021 at 4 PM and eligible beneficiaries can get their names listed on Co-WIN, Aarogya Setu or UMANG mobile applications.

Steps to register for the vaccination:

Touted to be the most ambitious step undertaken for furthering the inoculation drive, phase 3 opens vaccination for all adults in the nation. As a result, the registration process has been scheduled to start about 48 hours ahead of the drive, digitally. People can note the following steps and get themselves registered today itself:

• Visit www.cowin.gov.in and enter your mobile number
• An OTP will be generated for the registered mobile number to complete the registration
• Fill in personal details such as name, age, gender and area of residence
• You are permitted to provide ANY 1 of the eighteen different photo IDs mandated by the government. These include Aadhaar card, driving licence, PAN card, passport, voter card, and pension book, among others
• You will be provided with a list of hospitals and vaccination centres conducting the drive in your area. Schedule the vaccination at a place and time of your convenience. You can also select whether to get the jab at private or government facilities
• Similarly, you can also register via Aarogya Setu or UMANG mobile applications

At present, there are two vaccines that are driving India's COVID vaccination programme- COVAXIN and Covishield. Individuals being injected with COVAXIN, need to appear at the medical facilities for a second dose, within 4-6 weeks. For Covishield, the time span extends between 4 to 8 weeks, for the final jab. Beneficiaries may develop mild symptoms of the virus, such as fever, body pain and tiredness but there is no reason to panic, medical experts have pointed out time and again.