India is currently conducting the COVID-19 vaccination drive for all citizens above the age of 18 years amid limited vaccine availability across the country.
The vaccination process involves registering on the government’s official COVID vaccination portal (cowin.gov.in) or the Aarogya Setu App and getting a slot booked.
While the drive is continuing at the best of its capacity, vaccine slots are hard to find, especially for those over 18 and below 45 years of age, and therefore vaccine centres are usually booked out in seconds.
However, there are a few tips that can help you find a vaccine slot near you. Take a look below:
Disclaimer: While these tips are meant to help you book a vaccine appointment, they do not guarantee slot availability. We advise our readers to exercise necessary caution.
1. ixigo’s vaccine slot finder
You read that right! Your favourite travel booking app now has a tool that you can use to find COVID vaccine slots near you.
Try the ixigo vaccine finder tool now:
You can find your slot using the above tool in 4 easy steps:
1. Open the ixigo Trains App, and tap on ‘Find Vaccine Slot’.
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 display real-time slot availability from the CoWIN website based on your selected options.
What’s more? 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 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:
Check COVID-19 Vaccine Availability
2. Try specific time slots
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.
3. Try different phone numbers
Due to heavy traffic on the CoWIN website, sometimes updated slots do not show up in real-time on a particular phone number. Therefore, another tip is to try registering twice for one person with different phone numbers to increase your chances.
4. Use multiple devices
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.
5. Log-in before you try finding the slot
The CoWIN website allows users to check 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. Since slots are usually gone within seconds, it is advisable that you log-in with your mobile number in advance so you can book your appointment as soon as the slots open up.
We hope that these tips prove useful to you, and help you find a vaccine slot near you. Stay safe, and don’t forget to stay tuned with ixigo for more useful tips and updates!
