Glitches, OTP Delays, Slot Unavailability on Co-WIN Roll-Out Day 1
The govt has clarified that normal citizens can book vaccination slots only through CoWin web portal & not the app.
Hours after the Co-WIN registration was opened for users, many complained of glitches, delays in receiving one-time passwords (OTPs), and unavailability of slots.
On 5 January, the Centre introduced a new mobile platform to be used for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines in India. Named Co-WIN, the app is designed to be a one-stop digital platform for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
India began its second phase of vaccinations against the novel coronavirus on Monday, 1 March, with people above 60 years of age and those above 45 with co-morbidities eligible to get the jabs.
Registration and booking for appointment for COVID-19 vaccination is to be done through the Co-WIN portal: http://cowin.gov.in.
However, the app has not been launched for iOS users yet, and the app version available on Google Play Store can only be used by administrators. Regular citizens will need to use the Co-WIN web portal (or Co-WIN 2.0) for registration.
However, many on Twitter complained that neither the app nor the website was working properly. While some pointed out that there was a considerable delay in receiving OTPs after the first step of verification, some others said even though the web portal was working fine, there were no slots available.
Several people also shared memes and jokes over the delay in receiving OTPs.
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