As the government started with the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination for those over 60 years and more than 45 years of age with certain co-morbidities, long queues have been reported outside the vaccination center. Given the huge rush, the government has extended the working hours of the drive and has asked the eligible citizens to book an appointment for taking a COVID-19 shot.
The claim
There have been reports claiming that in order to get vaccinated people will have to book an appointment through CoWIN app available on the app store as well. There was a lot of confusion over the mode of appointment as the citizens were seen in long queues preferring an offline registration over the online as they complained of CoWIN app not working.
#LargestVaccineDrive
— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 1, 2021
Registration and booking for appointment for #COVID19 Vaccination is to be done through #CoWIN Portal: https://t.co/4VNaXj35GR.
There is NO #CoWIN App for beneficiary registration. The App on Play Store is for administrators only. pic.twitter.com/ifAmoEG3P2
Fact Check
International Business Times reviewed the claim about the CoWIN app not working for the registration of the Covid-19 vaccination. The claims turned out to be false in nature. It is pertinent to note that the government of India has not launched an app for the registration of the COVID-19 vaccine. In a Tweet, the Health Ministry wrote, "There is NO #CoWIN App for beneficiary registration. The App on Play Store is for administrators only."
The eligible citizens who are willing to get vaccinated can register their names on cowin.gov.in. Moreover, the appointment can also be booked through the Arogya Setu app. After filling in basic details, the appointment can be booked. The government later also clarified on Play Store with the description, 'Not for beneficiaries, only for vaccinators.'