The vaccination drive for all citizens in India above the age of 18 is currently underway, and involves registering on the government’s official COVID vaccination portal (cowin.gov.in) or the Aarogya Setu App and getting a slot booked.
However, slots are available in limited capacity, leading to entire vaccination centres being booked out in a fraction of seconds. But there are a few things that you can try to increase your chances of getting a vaccination appointment, and your favourite travel booking app has curated them all in one place.
Please note that while these tips are meant to increase your chances of booking a vaccine appointment on CoWIN, they do not guarantee slot availability. We advise our readers to exercise necessary caution.
Here are 5 useful tips for COVID vaccine registration:
1. ixigo’s vaccine slot finder
Surprise! Along with easing your travel booking needs, ixigo now has also launched a vaccine slot finder tool, that displays real-time slot availability from the CoWIN website.
Check COVID Vaccine Slot Availability
Here’s how to use the ixigo vaccine slot finder:
1. Open the ixigo Flights App, and tap on ‘Find Vaccine Slots’ in the ‘What’s New’ section.
2. Enter your pin code or select your district from the drop-down menu.
3. Select your age group and first or second dose, as applicable.
4. Tap on ‘Find a Slot’ and that’s it! The ixigo vaccine slot finder will show the most updated information regarding vaccine slot availability directly from the CoWIN website based on your selected options.
What’s even better, is that you can further filter the search results by selecting your vaccine type (Covishield or Covaxin), and whether you are opting for a ‘free’ or ‘paid’ vaccine centre. If a slot is available, you will be redirected to the coWIN website to book your vaccine appointment.
In case a slot is not available, you can tap on ‘notify me when slots are available’, and you will receive a push notification when slots are available in your area. It will look like this:
Isn’t that easy? Tap below to try the ixigo vaccine slot finder now:
Find Vaccine Slot2. Use different phone numbers
Since the CoWIN website gets heavy traffic, sometimes updated slots do not show up in real-time on a particular phone number. Therefore, another tip to increase your chances is to try registering twice for one person with different phone numbers.
3. Log-in before trying to find a slot
Users on the CoWIN website are allowed to check vaccine slot availability even without logging-in with their registered mobile numbers. However, in case slots are available, users have to first log-in and only then can they proceed to book their appointment.
Logging-in to the website before checking for slot availability is therefore a good idea, as it can help you save precious seconds and book your appointment as soon as the slots open up.
4. Check slot availability at specific timings
New slots on the CoWIN website often open up between 5 pm – 6 pm, and also around 10 pm. Make sure to try between these hours, and keep checking every 15-20 minutes during these time frames to increase your chances of finding a slot.
5. Use more than one electronic device
If you have more than one gadget with you, such as a laptop or a tablet, you can try refreshing the CoWIN website on them along with your mobile phone.
Stay safe, and don’t forget to stay tuned with ixigo for more useful tips and updates!
