Top 12 Covid-19 Vaccine Finder Platforms To Book A Slot [Update]

The second wave of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc across the country. Thus, we must get vaccinated as soon as we can. But here's the challenge. As the country opened the vaccine jab for 18 to 45 year old, it is very difficult to book a slot with such high demand. People are struggling to find even one slot and get an appointment. But many tech experts and startups have launched their apps and websites to help find a vaccine slot. For example, Paytm has launched its own Vaccine Finder. The platform aggregates lead from Cowin and lets you know if there's a slot open near you.

The government has made the Cowin portal's APIs public. With the help of integration with Cowin, many platforms have embedded it as a vaccine finder section on their portals. Some have even gone to the length to send a notification as soon as a slot opens. This has helped many people locate vaccination centres as soon as possible.

Here are 12 such Covid-19 Vaccine Finder Platforms

1. Paytm

Paytm is using CoWIN API for the COVID-19 Vaccine Finder. The Paytm Vaccine Finder platform tracks 780 districts in India for slot availability. It helps citizens to filter vaccine slots based on location and age, free and paid vaccines. If you can't find a slot, it lets you select the option for real-time alerts from Paytm once a slot is free.

2. HealthifyMe

HealthifyMe launched a real-time COVID-19 Vaccination Slot Finder called VaccinateMe. The platform also notifies the user through WhatsApp notifications when slots open up.  This initiative has been launched to fast track the mass inoculation drive in the country and encourage people to get vaccinated at the earliest. Users can also access this service directly through the website or the HealthifyMe app.

3. BANKIT

Many applications have incorporated the Cowin API to help find a slot for easy access. But there are people in Tier II and III areas who are not tech-savvy or are unaware of the appointment process. Fintech startup BANKIT is helping Tier II and III people to book an appointment through its mobile app. They also have 50,000 outlets and banking correspondents available in these areas for the assistance of the citizens.

4. Get Jab

Similar to Paytm, GetJab.in, another Vaccine Finder can help users find a vaccination slot around them. All you need to do is register with name, district and email. You can also provide your phone number if you want and get notified through a message. Developed by Azhar Hussain, a Product Manager at Microsoft, Shyam Sunder, a Product Leader at FreshWorks, Anurag Kishore, a Site Reliability Engineer at Media.net and Akshay Nautiyal, a Consultant and Finance Specialist, the app promises not to store any data.

Note: This is not a government-approved website.

5. WhatsApp and Facebook

WhatsApp recently updated its MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot. With the help of a chatbot, users can find a vaccine centre with vaccine availability. Save the number 9013151515 and open the chatbox on an Android or iOS smartphone. Once the MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot is launched, send ‘hi’ or ‘hello’; you can also use the Hindi language. It will send an automated response after which you can select an option for any COVID-related info.

Facebook has partnered with the Indian government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app in India, which will help people identify places nearby to get vaccinated. The app that is available in 17 languages will help people identify places nearby to get the vaccine.

The vaccine tracker tool will allow users to find the nearest vaccine centre locations and their hours of operation as shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). It will also provide a link to register on the Cowin portal and schedule vaccination appointments.

6. Travel app ixigo

To increase the chances of getting a vaccination appointment, ixigo has launched the ‘Vaccine Slot Finder’ tool on its flights and trains app displaying real-time slot availability from the CoWIN website. This tool can be easily accessed in the ‘What’s New’ section on the app by tapping on the ‘Find vaccine slots’ option. One can select their area pin code or the district along with the age group and specify the dose they qualify for.

A user can further filter the search results by selecting the vaccine type (Covishield or Covaxin), and whether they are opting for a ‘free’ or ‘paid’ vaccine centre. If a slot is available, it will redirect the user to the Cowin website to book the appointment. In case of unavailability of a slot, users get an option to select "Notify me when slots are available". This will enable push notifications for whenever the slots are available in their area.

7. Under45

The Under45.in website by Berty Thomas, helps citizens for Phase III find Covid vaccine slots. The unique platform directs users to a Telegram channel for updates as there are separate channels for each district.

Note: This is not a government-approved website.

8. Find Slot

Developed by Shubendu Sharma, Co-founder, WifiDhaba and Jeroz Nishant Coelho, Founder, We Are Bangalore, FindSlot helps users find a vaccination centre near them. Interestingly, the app has an easy user experience. Thus, it makes it easy for users to find a slot based on pin code, city, state and district.

This web app uses Cowin open API to make it easy for you to find slots. Availability changes in real-time, so the page also suggests booking your slot ASAP using Cowin.

Note: This is not a government-approved website.

9. Signzy

Booking an appointment for the 3rd phase of Vaccination is a major challenge. Thus, the team at Signzy has come up with a simple app that helps you find Vaccination slots near you through notifications. All you need is to fill in your Email ID, pin code, DoB and phone number.

Once you fill in the above details, you will get a notification regarding vaccination slots availability near your area on the email ID that you have entered. The system will keep checking every hour for the empty slots and will keep you notified via email. You will receive the centre name, number of slots available and the type of COVID-19 Vaccine available.

10. Leegality

Leegality- a legal tech startup that has announced the launch of a platform – covid.leegality.net - to help citizens find vaccination slots across India. All one has to do is register on the platform with their email ID and mention their state and district of residence. The platform is programmed to check the CoWIN application for available vaccination slots for citizens above 18 years of age, every two minutes. Users can get notified via email about available vaccination slots at centres in their vicinity.

Read More: Covid Vaccine Registration for Indians over 18 years: Where, When and How to Register?

11. Aarogya Setu and Umang App

The Aarogya Setu is a mobile app from the Government of India to connect essential health services with the people of India in our combined fight against COVID-19. The app provides all the Government of India initiatives from the Department of Health. It also reaches out to and informs the users regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories on the containment of COVID-19.

On the Aarogya Setu app homepage, go to the ‘CoWIN’ tab. There, you will see four options – Vaccine Information, Vaccination, Vaccination Certificate, Vaccination Dashboard. Tap on the “Vaccination” tab and then select the “Register Now” option. After that, go through the same process as mentioned in CoWIN Vaccine Registration. The only difference here is, that you can register a maximum of 4 beneficiaries through the Aarogya Setu app.

Once you have registered successfully, you will receive an SMS with the appointment details. Similar to the Aarogya Setu App, Umang App also allows Vaccine Tracker and Registration.

12. Cowin

Visit the CoWIN official website and click on the ‘Register Yourself’ tab. Then, log in with your mobile number. Alternatively, you can also sign in with your Aarogya Setu or Umang account. After you enter your mobile number, click on the Get OTP tab and enter the OTP and verify.

Note that you need to register for the COVID vaccine on the CoWIN Website. After you have verified your mobile number, the ‘Registration for Vaccination’ page will open. There, enter your personal details, such as name, age, gender and photo ID proof. You can use your Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Passport or even Driver’s Licence. After that, the page will verify if you have any symptoms for COVID 19 which you have to answer in yes or no.

Click on the ‘Register’ button at the bottom right after you enter all the details. Post-confirmation, you can schedule your appointment to get the vaccine for COVID 19 as per your wish. Just enter the pin code of your area or select from the list of states, followed by districts. Select a vaccination centre, date and time and click “Confirm”.

According to a new guideline, the Centre has updated that the appointment data for the vaccine may be up to 30 minutes old. Thus, it might make the API supporting apps useless. Further, all the platforms from 1-9 are only aggregators. You have to register only through Cowin, Aarogya Setu or Umang.