COVID-19 RT-PCR test reports soon to be linked to CoWIN to help ease travel: Report

The central government on Sunday said that the RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 will soon be linked with the CoWIN application. The move comes after many states and nations have made a negative RT-PCR test to travel. 

National Health Authority chief RS Sharma, in an interview with NDTV, said, “What we are doing is we are working with Director-General of the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), and we already have developed a system like you can, you know, download the CoWIN certificate. Similarly, now you will download the RT-PCR certificate digitally signed and actually we are through with that journey."

The CoWIN site and application currently provides the facility to book vaccine doses and provides vaccination certificates. 

Sharma said that this move will help travellers prove that they underwent authentic, government-certified tests. Amid rising cases of COVID-19 in some states, some states and countries have made RT-PCR performed 48 to 48-hours in before of departure mandatory. 

Vaccination certificates help travellers to prove they have received one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, however, many nations are yet to approve CoWIN as a vaccine passport. 

Sharma said that the central government is attempting to make the CoWIN vaccination passport acceptable. He told NDTV, “There is an attempt now on a bilateral basis — I accept your country’s passport and you accept mine. So those discussions are going on with our Ministry of External Affairs in both countries."

India's vaccination certificates are aligned with international standards from the beginning of the inoculation drive, he told NDTV.