Digital payment platform Paytm has announced that users can now book COVID-19 vaccination slots from the Paytm mobile application. The service is being rolled out across the country, and while users could locate the nearest vaccination centre on the app till date, they can now start booking vaccination appointments as well. Currently, most citizens have been using the Co-WIN portal launched by the Union government to book vaccination slots. The government had, last month, released new guidelines for the integration of Co-WIN with third-party applications, easing the way for such apps to offer vaccine bookings.
Paytm has announced the launch of the vaccination slot booking feature in addition to its ‘Vaccine Finder’ service on the mobile app. Users can book their vaccination slots for both Covaxin and Covishield at the nearest centre, based on location, age, dose number, vaccine type, and choose between free or paid vaccines, through the Paytm app. A Paytm spokesperson said, "It is our endeavour to help India come out of this pandemic a lot stronger. Our vaccine finder will help citizens seamlessly book slots at the nearest center and get vaccinated.”
In May, after vaccination opened for the 18-44 age group in India, Paytm had launched Vaccine Finder to help users filter their location and generate leads for vaccine bookings near them, including information such as the type of vaccine available and the fee charged for it. The company said that over the last several weeks, Paytm users have been checking for the availability of vaccination slots via Paytm.
Co-WIN head RS Sharma had recently said that many companies, like Paytm, had asked approval to offer vaccine bookings. Nearly 15 entities are eyeing approval to provide online appointment booking for vaccination, including Infosys and MakeMyTrip, Sharma said.
Over the past months, giants like Facebook and Google to startups such as HealthifyMe have introduced a slew of tools to help people find slots for vaccination appointments. Platforms like Under45 and GetJab became popular overnight as they alerted users when vaccine slots opened up and then directed them to the Co-WIN platform to secure an appointment.
The government has been undertaking vaccinations in a phased manner, starting with those over 60 years, then for those over 45 years and most recently, for those aged between 18-44 years. The expansion of the drive to the 18-44 age group saw a few hiccups, like glitches on the Co-WIN platform and vaccine shortages.