Centre Says, Anyone 18+ Can Walk In For CoWin Registration, Vaccination

Anyone over the age of 18 can walk in to the nearest vaccination centre to get registered on the CoWIN digital platform and be inoculated against COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry said Monday afternoon.

It is not mandatory to pre-register online or book an appointment to get the vaccine, the government said, as it seeks to increase the pace of vaccinations and tackle the 'vaccine hesitancy' it has blamed for the slow rollout of vaccines in parts of the country, including rural areas.

Meanwhile, the US death count from the coronavirus disease surpassed 600,000 on Tuesday, although officials lauded progress towards a return to normality as its world-leading vaccination program promised to turn the page on one of the worst health crises in American history, AFP reported.