Booking slots for vaccination against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) will become easier now as the government partnered with Facebook-owned messaging application WhatsApp for the same.
The tie-up among the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, citizen engagement platform MyGovIndia and WhatsApp will enable eligible individuals to get an appointment for a dose of the vaccine via phone.
Taking to Twitter, Union health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote on Tuesday, “Paving a new era of citizen convenience. Now, book COVID-19 vaccine slots easily on your phone within minutes."
Besides booking slots, vaccinated individuals can also download their vaccine certificates through the same mechanism, Cathcart said, adding over three million Indians have already availed the service. On August 5, MyGov and WhatsApp had introduced the ability for users to download vaccine certificates from the chatbot; and so far, over 32 lakh certificates have been downloaded by users across the country.
MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh said the new tie-up will enable digital inclusion since WhatsApp is much easier to navigate, and thanked the messaging app for creating the chatbot to help facilitate citizen's access to vaccination.
To book slots on WhatsApp, one has follow these below-mentioned steps:
Save the MyGov Corona Helpdesk number (9013151515) as a contact
Send 'Book Slot' request to this number on WhatsApp
Enter the 6-digit OTP one will receive via SMS
While in the chat, one has to choose their preferred date and location, pin code, and vaccine type.
Get a confirmation and visit the vaccination centre on the day of their appointment