Precaution dose for elderly, healthcare staff from Jan 10: How to register

New Delhi, Dec 27: India is set to administer precaution dose for healthcare and frontline workers from 10th January 2022. This has been done in the light of the amount of time that the frontline workers and health care workers spend in the service of Covid patients. In India, this has been called 'precaution dose' not booster dose.

The decision of precaution dose will strengthen confidence of healthcare and frontline workers. The option of precaution dose will be available for senior citizens above 60 years of age with co-morbidities on the advice of their doctors from 10th January, 2022.

The prioritisation and sequencing of the "precaution dose" (third dose) for healthcare workers (HCWs), frontline workers (FLWs) and citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities, would be based on completion of nine months from the date of administration of second dose, which is 39 weeks, the guidelines, which will come into effect from January 3, stated.

"The prioritisation and sequencing of this precaution dose would be based on the completion of nine months, i.e. 39 weeks from the date of administration of second dose," the guidelines stated.

Citizens irrespective of their income status are entitled to free COVID-19 vaccination at Government Vaccination Centres. Those who have the ability to pay are encouraged to use private hospitals' vaccination centres, the ministry said.

Precaution dose for elderly, healthcare staff from Jan 10: How to register

• All HCWs, FLWs and citizens aged 60 years or above with comorbidities will be able to access the vaccination for precaution dose through their existing Co-WIN account.
• Eligibility of such beneficiaries for the precaution dose will be based on the date of administration of 2nd dose as recorded in the Co-WIN system.
• Co-WIN system will send SMS to such beneficiaries for availing the precaution dose when the dose becomes due.
• Registration and appointment services can be accessed through both, the online and the onsite modes.
• The details of administration of the precaution dose will be suitably reflected in the vaccination certificates.