Foreign Nationals Now Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccination In India

New Delhi: Foreign nationals residing in India will now be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccine in India.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare announced that foreign nationals will have to get registered on CoWin portal, just like Indian citizens. The passport can be used as identity document for the purpose of registration. Once registered in CoWin, they can get a slot for vaccination.

According to the Health ministry, a significant number of foreign nationals are currently living in India, especially in large metropolitan areas where the potential of spread of COVID-19 is high because of higher population density. It is important to vaccinate all eligible persons to counter such a possibility, the Centre feels.

The vaccination programme for Indian citizens was rolled out on January 16, 2021. The inoculation drive currently covers all citizens aged 18 years and above.

India has so far administered more than 51 crore vaccine doses across the country.