Third-party applications like Paytm have been allowed to let users book Covid-19 vaccination slots via their platforms. The vaccination booking facility was earlier limited to government apps like Aarogya Setu or Umang, or the CoWIN self-registration portal. However, this limitation was relaxed last month, allowing private platforms to extend this service.
Paytm had added a ‘Vaccine Finder’ tool on its application in May that allowed users to find leads on vaccination centres and available slots. Users could avail of this feature to find nearby vaccination slots, available types of vaccine and the fee charged for vaccination. This tool has now been updated on both iOS and Android to include the vaccination booking facility.
Paytm‘s vaccine finder tool acts like an extension of the CoWIN self-registration portal. Similar to CoWIN, Paytm’s vaccine finder now allows users to find Covid-19 vaccination centres, which can be filtered on the basis of PIN code or districts, vaccination slots and the type of vaccine being administered. Users can also choose between free and paid slots on the app.
“It is our endeavour to help India come out of this pandemic a lot stronger. Our vaccine finder will help citizens seamlessly book slots at the nearest center and get vaccinated,” Paytm had said a the launch of the vaccination slot booking facility.
How to book Covid-19 vaccination slots on the Paytm app
To book Covid-19 vaccination slot on Paytm, users need to look for the Vaccine Finder tool on the app’s homepage under the ‘Featured’ section. They can also find it using the search bar.
Once into the app, users can choose to search for vaccination centres on the basis on their respective PIN codes or districts. They will need to select the age group – 18-44 years or 45 years and above – they belong to and whether it is their first or second dose.
Users can now proceed to book an appointment by clicking on the ‘Book now’ button. This will take them to the list of vaccination centres. A pop-up will confirm users’ mobile number for registration on the CoWIN portal, which will be verified via OTP.
Once their mobile number is registered, users can see the list of vaccination centres nearby. They can search for a particular vaccination centre in the search bar. Beneficiaries can select they want to get vaccinated on. The centres can be further filtered on the basis of whether vaccination there is free or paid. Beneficiaries can also select look for vaccination slots for vaccine types of their choice – Covishield or Covaxin.
After making the desired selections, users will find the number of available slots, vaccine type and the cost of vaccination can be seen listed under the names of available centres.
Once booking is confirmed, Paytm will send an appointment slip that can be produced at the vaccination centre to get the jab.
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