Vaccines on WhatsApp: COVID Vaccine Slots Can Now Be Booked On WHATSAPP

Looking at the usage of Indians on WhatsApp, the government has declared that the COVID Vaccine slots can now be booked on WhatsApp. This move will make it much easier for people to book COVID vaccine slots on WhatsApp.

On 05 August 2021, the ministry of health and MyGov announced that citizens can now connect to MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot through WhatsApp. Union Health Minister, Mansukh Mandviya, declared that Indians can now book COVID vaccine slots through WhatsApp on Tuesday. He added that “it is a new era of utmost citizen convenience by booking COVID vaccine slots through WhatsApp in just a few minutes”. Will Cathcart, WhatsApp Inc.’s CEO, confirmed WhatsApp’s collaboration with MyGov.

MyGov, the CEO, Abhishek Singh, also added that people find the AI-based interface much easier to use and book COVID vaccine slots on WhatsApp. It is much faster and helps the non-tech-savvy citizens of India to book COVID vaccine slots on WhatsApp quickly. MyGov corona helpdesk on WhatsApp was first launched in March 2020 and has been a raging success since then. During the 2020 pandemic, it helped 41 million Indian users find COVID-related information. It is a well-thought step to reach each Indian citizen and encourage vaccination.

Read- A generic drug can be an effective addition to COVID-19 Arsenal

How to book COVID vaccine slots on WhatsApp

Booking a COVID vaccine slot is just one message away. Follow the few easy steps as noted below to book your COVID vaccine slot on WhatsApp. 

1. Save the corona helpline number associated with MyGov: 9013151515.
2. Send a message to the MyGov helpline number with the text ‘Book Slot’. You will receive an OTP (one-time password) through SMS. 
3. You have to enter the OTP on the WhatsApp chat with the MyGov helpdesk. The chatbot will locate your data with Cowin.
4. Then, enter your mobile number and your location pin code.
5. As you enter your pin code, you can choose your preferred location, date of vaccination, and the type of vaccine. Thereafter, your vaccine slot will be confirmed.

Voila! You are all set to get vaccinated at your nearest vaccination center.

MyGov corona helpdesk chatbot will also help citizens to download the ‘COVID vaccine Certification’.

How to download the COVID certificate through WhatsApp?

1. Send a message to the MyGov helpline number ‘COVID certificate’.
2. You will receive an OTP (one-time password) through SMS. Enter the password in the chatbot to verify your mobile number.

You will receive the COVID certificate after a few minutes. This is an easy, fast, and convenient method to Book COVID vaccine slots on WhatsApp.

The process of vaccination in India started on 16 January 2021. According to the ministry of health records, the Indian healthcare system has vaccinated about 58.80 crore citizens. As COVID Vaccine Slots Can Now Be Booked on WhatsApp, it will be a giant leap for India in combating further outbreaks of the COVID waves. 

This is a sensitive time, and India must ramp up the pace of vaccination. If it fails, we could see 6 lakhs new COVID cases in a day. The execution plan is to vaccinate 10 million citizens in a day. This plan can reduce the daily new COVID infections to 2 lakhs from 6 lakhs.

Experts have predicted the third wave of coronavirus. According to health experts and researchers, the third wave might be weaker than the previous waves, but each citizen must be vaccinated to stay safe from the third outbreak of COVID in India. With this in mind, the step is taken that COVID Vaccine slots can now be booked on WhatsApp.