Book COVID-19 vaccine slots now on WhatsApp, here is a detailed step-by-step guide

The Central government has launched a helpdesk to help people easily find their nearest COVID-19 vaccination centre and book their vaccine-appointment. For this, the Ministry of Health in partnership with MyGov has now announced the MyGov Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp. According to the new feature, WhatsApp users across the country can now easily locate their nearest vaccination centre to get themselves vaccinated against coronavirus. Earlier, MyGov and WhatsApp had introduced the ability for users to download their COVID vaccination certificates from the chatbot.

Here's how you can book vaccine appointment on WhatsApp

The newly introduced feature will enable WhatsApp users across the country to use the MyGov Corona Helpdesk to book COVID vaccine slots.

1. Users can now avail of the service by sending ‘Book Slot’ to the WhatsApp number +91 9013151515.
2. Sending this text message will generate a 6-digit one-time password on the respective mobile phone number.
3. From here, users can pick a preferred date and location, based on the pin code and vaccine type provided.
4. Following the confirmation, users can visit the vaccination centre at the allotted time slot.

Speaking about the feature, Abhishek Singh, CEO MyGov; President & CEO NeGD; and MD & CEO Digital India Corporation (DIC) at the Government of India said, “MyGov Corona Helpdesk has been a path-breaking technological solution that benefited millions of citizens across the nation. It is a testament to the fact that when the right platform and technology are integrated, the results are immensely beneficial. Since its launch, MyGov Corona Helpdesk has evolved into a go-to platform that is not only helping citizens with authentic Corona-related information but is now also aiding them in the process of vaccine booking as also finding vaccination centres and slots and downloading vaccination certificates.”

“It is enabling digital inclusion in the true sense as most people find the AI-based interface enabled on WhatsApp easier to navigate.  We are thankful to WhatsApp for their continued support in helping us unlock the true potential of this chatbot for citizen help and engagement throughout the trying times of the pandemic,” Abhishek Singh added. Meanwhile, Shivnath Thukral, Director - Public Policy, WhatsApp, while commenting on the new use-case launch said that the platform is fully committed to the Government in battling the pandemic.

MyGov Corona Helpdesk

The MyGov Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp has been one of the most authentic sources of COVID-related information in the country. Launched in March 2020 with the support of Haptik’s AI solutions and supported by Turn.io, the feature has over 41 million users across India. Owing to its newest service, over 32 lakh COVID vaccination certificates have also been downloaded by users from the helpdesk chatbot.

(IMAGE: UNSPLASH)