New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Monday announced its decision allowing foreign nationals living in India to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by registering on the CoWin portal.
Such individuals can use their passport as an identity document for the purpose of registration on CoWIN, the health ministry informed in a statement.
According to the health ministry statement, a significant number of foreign nationals are living in India, especially in large metropolitan cities.
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In such areas, the potential of COVID-19 spreading is high due to higher population density. So to tackle any possibility of such occurrence, the Union government has deemed it important to vaccinate all eligible persons.
"In a landmark initiative to ensure safety from COVID-19, the Ministry of Health has taken a decision to allow foreign nationals residing in India to get registered on CoWin portal to take COVID-19 vaccine," the ministry wrote in the statement.
"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 coronavirus," it added.
Once the foreign nationals registered on CoWIN, they will get a slot for vaccination.
The national COVID-19 vaccination programme touted as the "largest vaccination drive" is being implemented across all states and union territories since January 16, 2021.
The vaccination programme currently covers all citizens aged 18 years and above. As of August 9, 2021, India has administered more than 51 crore vaccine doses across the country.