New Delhi: In an attempt to strengthen its aim to vaccinate all adults by the end of this year, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday announced booking of vaccine slots using the WhatsApp messenger.
Taking to the Twitter, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that people could now book Covid-19 vaccine slots easily on their phones within minutes. Elaborating on the process, he said, "One needs to send 'Book Slot' to MyGovIndia Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp, verify and then follow the requisite steps."
In an official statement, WhatsApp on Tuesday said that the MyGov Corona Helpdesk on its platform will now allow users to locate their nearest vaccination centre and book their vaccine appointments.
"The MyGov Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp, since its launch in March 2020, has emerged as one of most authentic sources of COVID-related information during the pandemic and served as a critical instrument in fighting the public-health crisis for over 41 million users across India," it said.
MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh said that the MyGov Corona Helpdesk has been a path-breaking technological solution that benefited millions of citizens across the nation.
"Since its launch, MyGov Corona Helpdesk, enabled with support from Haptik and Turn.io, 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 centers and slots and downloading vaccination certificates," Singh said.
To contact MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot, citizens can save the WhatsApp number +91 9013151515 on their phones; start a chat by typing Book Slot and send it to the number. This will generate a six-digit one-time password on the respective mobile phone number.
Users then choose a preferred date and location, based on the pincode and vaccine type. All users can follow this sequence to get a confirmation of their centre and day of their vaccine appointment.