As the COVID-19 vaccination drive for people above 18 years of age has started on May 1, people are now finding it hard to get a vaccine slot although the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive started in full swing.
Several users are still not aware of the registration process and are not able to schedule an appointment for vaccination. They are facing issues while registering for the vaccine through the CoWin portal or the Aarogya Setu app. Some users have said that they have not received their OTPs to complete their registration. On the other hand, a large number of users who got their OTPs could not find slots in their areas for setting up a vaccination appointment.
• Visit the CoWIN website and click on the 'Register/Sign in Yourself' button, which is located on the top right corner of the screen.
• Once you tap on it, you will be redirected to a new page, where you will be asked to enter your mobile number to get an OTP. Once you receive it, enter the OTP and complete the verification process.
• You need to enter all your details, including name, gender, year of birth, and photo ID proof. After filling in all the blanks, just click on 'Register.'
• Once the registration process is done, you can go ahead and schedule an appointment. You can use the same mobile number to book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment for 4 people.
• After installing the Aarogya Setu app on your mobile phone, open it.
• Visit the 'CoWIN' tab. It is situated at the top, just next to the vaccination tab.
• Tap on 'Vaccination (login/register)' and then enter your mobile number. You then need to tap on the 'proceed to verify' button.
• Enter the OTP that you got on your device and tap again on the 'proceed to verify' button.
• Now upload a photo ID card type (Govt ID/voter ID card/Aadhaar, etc). Apart from this, you will be asked to enter your full name, age, gender, year of birth and other details. Additionally, you can register up to 4 beneficiaries through the Aarogya Setu app.
• The app will then show the date and availability. You can select the "book" option. Once the registration is successful, you will get an SMS with the appointment details.
You can attach any of the below-mentioned ID with Photo at the time of COVID-10 vaccine registration:
- Aadhaar Card
-Driving License
-Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of the Ministry of Labour
-Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card
-Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
-PAN Card
-Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office
-Passport
-Pension Document
-Service Identity Card issued to employees by Central/ State Govt./ Public Limited Companies
-Voter ID
• The moment you finish the registration process, you can get an option to book an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine on the same platform.
• Once you click on 'Schedule Appointment,' you will get an option to 'book appointment for vaccination.'
• You will be required to choose the state, district, block, and pin code.
• Once done, you will get a list of vaccination centres, as per the details you have entered.
• You then need to select the vaccination centre, after which you will get the dates and the number of slots available on a day. You will also get to check the next week's vaccine slots.
• Once everything is done, just click on the 'Book' button, and an 'Appointment Confirmation' page will appear.
• After this verify all the details and click on 'Confirm.' You are then all set to get the vaccine.
• If you need to reschedule an appointment, you can call 211, as per the FAQ page.
The site stated, "You can reschedule your appointment at any location. Please bring the ID you need to verify your eligibility with you. You can also reschedule or cancel your appointment online. Follow the link in the reminder notice that you receive by text or email 48 hours before the scheduled appointment."
There are a few websites that can help keep a track of when vaccination slots are available. These include:
• Under45.in
• GetJab.in
• FindSlot.in
If you want instant updates on the COVID-19 vaccination slot, then visit Under45.in's website. Once you open it, all you need to do is enter your state, district and then join the Telegram channel to get the updates related to the COVID-19 vaccination slot available near you.
But, you should keep in mind that these alerts are not very reliable given the CoWIN API rules have changed and the data is not available in real-time, as booking a slot has become a game of fastest finger first in many places.
As you can download the COVID-19 vaccination certificate via Aarogya Setu app, once you get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, you will receive a message on your registered mobile confirming that your "1st Dose of Covaxin or Covishield is successful" and you can download the certificate. The message contains a link that redirects you to the government's site (http://www.mohfw.gov.in). You just need to sign in and then download the certificate.
• Open the Aarogya Setu app on your phone.
• Visit the CoWin tab section and tap on the 'Vaccination Certificate' option.
• You now will be required to enter your beneficiary reference ID, which you get at the time of vaccination registration.
• Tap on the 'Get Certificate' button and then you are done.