Currently, India is fighting against an unprecedented and deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Union Health Ministry, there was a single-day rise of 3,66,161 Covid-19 cases on Monday, which increased to 2,26,62,575.
On 1 May, vaccine shots became available for everyone above the age of 18. As of this writing, there are two vaccines that are being used to vaccinate people. These are Covishield, developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
After one receives the first dose of the vaccine shot, the government issues a vaccination certificate that carries all the basic details of the person who received the vaccine. These include their name, age, gender, and all the relevant details of the vaccination, such as the name of the vaccine, date of receiving the first dose, etc.
The Covid-19 vaccination certificate can be downloaded both from the CoWin portal, as well as from the Aarogya Setu mobile app. You can do so by following the steps provided below:
- Visit the official website of the CoWin portal.
- Click on the button which reads ‘Sign in/Register.’
- Sign in using your registered mobile number. Following this, you will receive a one-time password (OTP). Use it to enter the website.
- After you log in, there will be a Certificate tab under your name.
- Tap on the download button to obtain an online copy of your vaccination certificate.
You can also receive the certificate from the Aarogya Setu app by following the procedure given below:
- Open the Aarogya Setu mobile app on your phone.
- Sign in by using your mobile number.
- Click on the CoWin tab. This tap can be found at the top.
- Click on the Vaccination Certificate option.
- Enter your 13-digit beneficiary reference ID.
- Click on the download button to obtain your vaccination certificate.
The vaccine itself works by not only inducing an immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but by also helping to quickly build herd immunity and put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient part of an affected population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been recorded to be fairly stable, which increases the viability and potential for the success of the vaccine.
The reason behind the large time gap between the outbreak of the pandemic and the release of the vaccines was that the development of vaccines is a long and complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a disease, vaccines are given to both healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. Therefore, comprehensive and rigorous tests are compulsory for public health and safety issues.