Covid vaccine: Glitch, confusion & clarification as govt opens online booking for 18+ | India News

NEW DELHI: Online registration for all those aged above 18 for Covid-19 vaccination opened today at 4 pm on cowin.gov.in and Aarogya Setu app.
After registration, taking an appointment to get a Covid-19 vaccine jab would be mandatory for those aged between 18 and 44 years as walk-ins will not be allowed initially, officials had said.
People complain about glitches on CoWIN
However chaos prevailed shortly after the registrations opened at 4 pm, many people complained that they could not access the CoWin portal or the app.
Many took to social media to share screenshots of pages showing the error “504 Gateway Time-Out”.

While some complained that the portal was not responding, others complained that it had crashed. Heavy rush was witnessed for registration as the government has already clarified that there will be no walk-in vaccination for the beneficiaries in the third phase.

While the portal was facing server issues, people were unable to login and register themselves to book an appointment to take the vaccine shot.
Confusion prevailed
Some people who were trying to get log-in were not able to receive the OTP, which is mandatory for registration.

Some who were able to login said the app shows vaccines aren’t available for those in the 18-45 age group.

The message that appeared on the website said that if you do not see a vaccination centre for your age group, it means that government and private facilities are yet to open for scheduling appointments in your area, and the list will be updated soon.
Government clarification
Soon after the users complained of glitch, Twitter handle of the Aarogya Setu mobile application clarified that the CoWIN portal is working and that there was a minor glitch at 4 pm, which was fixed.

It also said that the vaccination appointments for 18 plus will be possible once the state governments and private vaccination centres schedule vaccination sessions.

National Health Authority CEO RS Sharma they were ready and geared up for large number of registrations.
“The appointment will be based on the facilities available. The programme is to start on May 1. There may be situations where some states will come on May 1 whereas some will be able to come later. The visibility in bookings or vacancies will be available as and when facilities come on board. So people should have patience. We are creating a separate search facility to see the vacancies available,” he said.
“There will be no situation where everybody is ready at the same moment. We started the programme and they will continue to come on board. Some may come early and some may come onboard later. The system must go on,” he added.
More than 35 lakh people registered in the first hour
As the mad scramble to register for the Covid vaccine among those in the 18-44 age group began on the CoWIN portal, the government said that more than 35 lakh people registered in the first hour after launch.

By 9 pm, the CoWin dashboard showed that almost one crore people had registered for the vaccination.
States wary of vaccine shortage
Meanwhile, some states have expressed concerns that they may not be able to start vaccination for the age group of 18-44.
Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said The Covid-19 vaccination drive beginning May 1 cannot be launched in Maharashtra because of the unavailabily of sufficient doses of vaccines.
Goa government may not be able to start vaccinating people in the age bracket of 18-45 years from May 1 as it is yet to get vaccine stock. The directorate of health services has placed orders with SII, but they have not got a commitment for the supply yet.
The West Bengal government has decided to procure vaccine doses on behalf of private hospitals to ensure the inoculation drive does not come to an abrupt halt next month.
But given the logistics issues of orders being placed and deliveries taking place in the few days that remain this month, there is cloud over the drive at private Covid vaccination centres (CVCs) from May 1.