CoWIN-KAR pilot project in city from next week

• Ambitious plan aimed at a glitch-free vaccination registration process
• Information on jab availability to be relayed 24 to 36 hours before schedule

Mysore/Mysuru: Many have complained about difficulties in booking a vaccination slot on the CoWIN App platform amid shortage of vaccine doses and the platform is being controlled by the Centre. 

Amidst a clamour by States including Maharashtra and Delhi for a separate mechanism for a smooth COVID-19 vaccination drive following instances of glitches in CoWIN App, the Karnataka Government has developed a new App called CoWIN-KAR (online registration App) and a pilot project will be implemented in Mysuru city to smoothen the vaccination drive and to encourage more and more people to get their jabs.

It is a separate State-level platform from where the data could be shared with the Union Government through an interface with CoWIN App.

The App has been developed by the State Health Department and the pilot project would be implemented in all the three Assembly segments in Mysuru (only city limits) from next week. If the pilot project is successful in Mysuru, the App will be extended to the entire State. 

Orientation programme

As part of the pilot project implementation, a technical team headed by Prasanna Kumar of State War Room from Bengaluru had come to Mysuru yesterday and a day-long orientation programme for officials was held at Zilla Panchayat Hall where the software was unveiled and the nitty-gritties were explained. 38 health officers coming under various Primary Health Centres of Mysuru city, vaccinators and verifiers were part of the session that was held under the leadership of Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. B.S. Manjunathaswamy. District Health Officer Dr. K.H. Prasad was present. 

How it works

Till now, those who wanted to get vaccinated had to register online through the CoWIN portal and they had to register their names within the available time of two to three minutes. With CoWIN-KAR, there will be no such time restrictions and beneficiaries can register their names, age, Aadhaar Number and the desired date of vaccination. 

After this process, the persons in-charge of the district vaccination programmes and the Nodal Officers will collate data and based on the number of vaccination doses available in-stock or future arrivals, they will inform the date to the jab-seeker through the App. 

Information about the vaccine availability will be relayed 24 to 36 hours before schedule and people can show the message at the vaccination centre to get inoculated. The App collects data and stores it at the back-end as per the age of the vaccine seekers. 

The information will also include the date of vaccination availability, location and time along with details if it is Covishield or Covaxin. Separate information will also be supplied if the vaccine-seeker is a senior citizen, above 45 years of age or even frontline warriors. Information will be prioritised as per the target groups — like frontline warriors and senior citizens. After the priority groups receive their vaccines, the next will be 18 to 44 age groups. 

With the CoWIN-KAR App, there will not be any disturbance or roadblocks to the walk-in vaccination programmes at any of the vaccination centres including Primary Health Centres. Only residents of Mysuru can register in the COWIN-KAR App. 

CoWIN and CoWIN-KAR

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Reproductive and Child Health Officer and COVID-19 Immunisation Officer Dr. L. Ravi said that once the pilot project is fully implemented in Mysuru, beneficiaries need not register in the CoWIN App and instead go for CoWIN-KAR. 

“We are launching the pilot project in Mysuru city limits from next week and for some time, both CoWIN and CoWIN-KAR Apps will function. If the pilot project is successful, the registration need not be done in the CoWIN App and as Aadhaar is entered in both the Apps, the CoWIN-KAR system can automatically pick up data,” he added.