Easy ways to book Covid Vaccine Appointment on CoWin: Here are 5 simple tips

If  you are above 18 years and finding it difficult to book your COVID vaccine appointment?

 It has been extremely difficult for those aged between 18-45 years to book a vaccine slot even though the government opened up vaccination for all above the age of 18 years from May 14, 2021, as vaccine shortage has forced many centres to shut down or prioritise vaccination of those aged above 45 years.

The centres that are administering vaccines to those between 18-45 years are getting booked fast. So, how does a 18+ person book an appointment for vaccination against COVID-19 without spending hours refreshing the CoWin portal? 

Well, India's tech-savvy youth has come up with few simple tricks and tips to help people book an appointment for COVID-19 vaccination on the CoWin portal. 

5 Simple Tips to Book Covid Vaccine Appointment 

1. Cowin portal or Cowin App download from Play store- register with Mobile number and 

Aadhar card and after doing registration check the slots availablilty 

2 New WhatsApp Bot: Few youth have begun a WhatsApp bot to track vaccine availability. Through the bot, the user can find out the slots available for any pincode or district.

How does this work?

•Users can send a simple Hi on WhatsApp to- 7903252271. 

 

3. Paytm has also integrated a vaccine finder in its mobile application. It will notify you once a slot is available. 

4. HealthifyMe has also launched the VaccinateMe platform that uses CoWIN API to help users find the available vaccination slots. The portal is integrated with relevant filters that customise the search based on the desired pin code, district and age and choice of vaccine.  

5. My Government Corona Helpdesk bot also provides information on vaccination centres. However, it does not provide alerts on vaccination slot availability. 

•The first message will be a welcome message followed by a menu to select the age group. The users can select the appropriate option.

 •Then they will be given a choice to search slots by Pincode or by districts.

•Once the user replies with his/ her slots, the bot will send all the available slots. 

•If the slots are unavailable, the users can opt for an auto alert and the bot will continuously check for slots on behalf of them and immediately send the message if slots become available.

Other Tips

1. Keep checking and refreshing the CoWin portal. 

2. The best time to look for a vaccination slot is reportedly 6 pm to 11 pm.

 

3. Those lucky in finding a slot must not waste time in booking the slots, as the slots get filled up fast.

 

4. Being open to travelling for vaccination jab. In case you do not find a vaccination centre within your Pincode or district, check nearby districts to book a slot. 

Background

India began its third phase of COVID-19 vaccination for all people above 18 years from May 14, 2021. Under this phase, people aged above 18 years have to first register themselves on the CoWin portal and then book a vaccination slot at their preferred vaccination centre. 

While registration on the CoWin portal is easy and completed in simple steps such as entering your number and then feeding the OTP, booking an appointment for covid vaccination has become a challenge with a major gap between the demand and supply of the vaccines.