A lot of us in India have spent hours and hours trying to get a vaccine slot. At times, there were no slots available in our city, or the slot was for an age group that we did not fit in. Messaging app WhatsApp has come to the rescue here. Users looking to get a vaccine jab and now check availability and book slots at their nearest COVID vaccination centres.

Earlier this month, WhatsApp and MyGov had come up with a feature that allowed users to download COVID vaccine certificates on their smartphones using a chatbot. So far, over 32 lakh certificates have been downloaded by users across the country.

Also read: Pentagon to make COVID vaccines mandatory following FDA nod of Pfizer’s shot

COVID vaccination: Here is how you can check availability and book a slot on WhatsApp

– Save the MyGov Corona Helpdesk number on your phone. The number is +91 9013151515.

– Open the WhatsApp application.

– Send a message saying ‘Book Slot’ on the MyGov number.

– You will receive a 6-digit one-time password on the same chat.

– Enter the pincode of your area, or the area where you are looking for a vaccination centre.

– Choose your preferred date and centre.

– You will receive a confirmation message of the centre and date that you have booked the slot for.

“As a platform, we are fully committed to supporting our Government’s efforts to help fight this pandemic,” WhatsApp Public Policy Director Shivnath Thukral said.

In India, so far 58.89 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered under the nationwide vaccination, according to the data provided by health ministry on Tuesday morning. Currently, there are three COVID-19 vaccines being used in India, including Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik and the Centre has given approval to three more vaccines. These include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Zydus Cadila.

There are currently 319,551 active COVID-19 cases in the country, lowest in 156 days.