July 5, 2021
The app can be downloaded from Google Play store as well as the Apple app store.
The app helps in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Covid-19 vaccine program in India.
More than 76 countries have expressed their interest in adopting the CoWIN platform.
India has administered 350 million doses of Covid vaccines using the CoWIN app for scheduling and logistics.
On July 5, at the CoWIN Global Conclave, Hon’ble prime minister Shri Narendra Modi offered the world the indigenously-developed CoWIN platform as a digital tool to combat COVID-19. Given the interconnected nature of the response needed against the pandemic, global cooperation plays a pivotal role. As stated by the Prime Minister, this pandemic is unlike any other in the past century and no nation, no matter how powerful, can solve a challenge like this on its own. This Conclave is a joint initiative by Union ministries of health, external affairs and the National Health Authority (NHA). It was inaugurated by Union Health Minister Shri Harsha Vardhan, and it brought together health and technology experts from all over the world.
At the conclave PM Modi emphasised the key role of technology in fighting the pandemic, the importance of vaccination, and how India had adopted a completely digital approach while planning its vaccination strategy. Not only does this provide proof of vaccination in a digital format to the people, it also helps in re-establishing normalcy in a post pandemic world. This digital approach assists in tracking the usage of vaccination and minimises its wastage.
In line with the Indian philosophy, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam’ (the entire world as one family), the Prime Minister said, “Covid vaccination platform, CoWIN is being prepared to be made open source, available to any and all countries, specifically customised as per the local requirements of the interested party”.
Not only is India interested in sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources with the rest of the world, it is also eager to learn from global practices. More than 76 countries including Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama and Uganda have shown interest in adopting the CoWIN platform. Through the CoWIN app, India has administered 350 million doses of Covid vaccines. Introduced by the central government in January, the CoWIN app (Covid-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network) marked the beginning of the vaccination drive in the country and has achieved 200 million registrations in the first four months since its launch. Not only does this portal allow beneficiaries to book their vaccination slots, but also provides the vaccination certificate. This in turn facilitates international travel, as the platform also offers the option of linking one’s passport with the vaccine certificate.