The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday, August 24, announced that people can now book COVID-19 vaccination appointment slots through WhatsApp in addition to the CoWin portal. WhatsApp users can locate their nearest vaccination centre and book vaccination slots through the Facebook-owned messaging platform’s MyGov Corona Helpdesk.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Paving a new era of citizen convenience. Now, book COVID-19 vaccine slots easily on your phone within minutes. Send ‘Book Slot’ to MyGovIndia Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp. Verify OTP. Follow the steps.” Users then choose a preferred date and location, based on the pincode and vaccine type. All users can follow this sequence to get a confirmation of their centre and day of their vaccine appointment. The Union government announced on Monday that with 56,10,116 doses administered in the country on August 23, the total vaccination count in India has crossed 58.82 crore. Till August 23, 39,62,091 beneficiaries were given the first dose and 16,48,025 received the second dose, according to a provisional report till 7 pm. The ministry underlined that vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.
