As people can now register for vaccination against COVID-19 by using the
CoWin platform or
Aarogya Setu app, several of them trying to book appointments complained of glitches on the online portal. They alleged that the booking process was too slow with available slots "vanishing" within seconds.
A number of users are facing issues while registering for the vaccine through the CoWin portal or the 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.
Here are some of the issues people are facing and complaining:
• Some are facing issues while waiting for months. As soon as they click the 'confirm' button, they show a message that the centre is fully booked.
• Some sites are still restricting it to 45+ age groups.
• Some users turned to updates on social media and other mobile apps, which send alerts on slots opening up in each district.
• The government portal most of the time doesn't show any empty slots as they vanish within seconds of opening up.
• Some have to be really onto the website for hours to be able to get lucky to find a slot.
• Some have been trying to book an appointment since the day the portal opened up. By the time they reached the page after logging in, the slots would get filled.
• Some people are also traveling across different places to get the jab due to the restrained availability of vaccines.
• Some people after getting the appointment, asked to return because there was no stock available.
To help people get appointments, some Indian researchers and developers have come up with websites and apps such as Findmyvaccine.in, Helpmecovid.com, Under45.in, and CoviAlerts.in that notify a user when slots open up. These websites use CoWIN's open API (application programming interface) and aim to deliver relevant and timely information on vaccine availability, vaccination centres, and the date and time of the vaccination drive.