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Citizens Highlight CoWIN OTP Issue and Unavailability of Appointments, Indian Government Responds

CoWIN OTP issue seems to have been resolved, but citizens complain that slots are unavailable for vaccine registration below 45 years

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Supriya Rai
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CoWIN Registered Names Missing

CoWIN OTP issue seems to have been largely resolved by the portal. Some users have been complaining that they have been unable to register or login with the portal as OTPs were not being sent to them. However, although OTPs are now being sent, citizens are now complaining that there are no slots available for vaccine registration below 45 years. Users claim that appointments are always booked, and they have not been able to reserve slots for themselves.

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“Please help. I have been trying to book a slot under 45+; however, I have never seen any slot available either on CoWIN or Aarogya Setu. I have tried checking in the morning around 9:00am and evening 7:30pm. Can you please suggest if there is any other way?” asks Neha. Some citizens claim that they have not been able to book appointments even though empty slots are displayed on CoWIN.

“I keep on trying every 5 minutes on the CoWIN portal. The OTP arrives sometimes not but whenever I try to book the slot. When the OTP does arrive slot is always booked,” said Rushad to Dataquest on the CoWIN OTP issue. “I’ve been trying to book a slot for vaccination from the last 4 days but it won’t work. However, at the end of day the portal shows that all slots are booked,” says Viyaan Vats.

Issues Being Faced by Users While Booking Slots on the CoWIN Portal

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A citizen by the name of Kartik Pandit said that he was facing the following issues while trying to book appointments over the past few days:

  • It takes a lot of time to get OTP.
  • The Addition of security CAPTCHA has delayed the whole process.
  • After 10 minutes of getting OTP, the system disconnects you from the booking sever but does not display this for the user.
  • The screen where one is waiting for a center to open a booking does not indicate that they have been logged out.
  • Once the center opens, and users input the alpha code, the screen says the code is invalid as they have been logged out.
  • The option is to log in again via OTP, but this takes time, and in the meanwhile, all slots are booked.

Some users have also raised concerns about the “auto-booking” of slots by bots. However, the CoWIN portal has introduced a new CAPTCHA feature to overcome this problem. The CoWIN portal has also introduced new features such as the option to look for slots available for only 18 plus, Covaxin, Covishield, free and paid vaccinations.

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What the Government of India Has to Say About CoWIN OTP Issue and Unavailable Vaccination Slots

While some citizens are complaining about the CoWIN OTP issue, several others have been successfully able to schedule appointments, and have also received their vaccinations. The official account of Aarogya Setu has, therefore, advised citizens to check with their mobile service operators if they are unable to receive OTPs from the CoWIN portal. Citizens may also call 1075, or 011 23978046 for assistance.

If vaccination slots are unavailable, the Government of India has advised citizens to keep checking regularly to book slots based on availability. Here’s the official statement from the Government of India:

  • Appointment for age 18 to 44 is based on slots made available by the private vaccination centers as well as the respective state government.
  • The minimum age for each vaccination center is displayed with the name of the vaccination center. Appointment slots are available where the age displayed is 18+.
  • More Appointment slots will soon be offered. If slots are not currently available, please check again after some time, said MyGovIndia while requesting the patience and understanding of citizens.
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