In a breakthrough move, foreign nationals residing in India will now be allowed to get vaccinated in India, the government said on Monday.
In a bid to ensure safety from COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has allowed foreign nationals residing in India to get registered on CoWin portal to take the vaccine. They have been instructed to use their passport as identity document for the purpose of registration on CoWIN portal.
“A significant number of foreign nationals are living in India, especially in large metropolitan areas. In these areas, the potential of spread of Covid-19 is high due to higher population density. To counter any possibility of such occurrence, it is important to vaccinate all eligible persons,” a statement by the ministry said.
It added, “This initiative will ensure the safety of foreign nationals residing in India. It will also bring down the possibilities of further transfer of infection from unvaccinated persons residing in India. It will also ensure overall safety from further transmission of COVID-19 virus.”
India began the National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme across all states and Union Territories on January 16, 2021. The vaccination programme in its current phase covers all citizens aged 18 years and above. The country has administered more than 51 crore vaccine doses across the country as on August 9.
It took India only 85 days to reach the figure of 10 crore. In another 45 days, it crossed the 20 crore-mark, 29 days more to reach 30 crore. The country took 24 days to reach 40 crore from 30 crore and then 20 more days to cross 50 crore vaccinations on August 6. In less than three days, one crore vaccine doses were administered in the country.
