App glitches mar Day 1 of vaccine registrations for 18+

NEW DELHI: As India opened the registration of all adults above 18 years of age for vaccination against Covid-19 on the COWIN portal at 4 pm on Wednesday, many people took to social media to complain about the technical problems they faced trying to register for the third phase of the inoculation drive that is scheduled to begin from May 1.

Some of them complained that the portal was not responding while others complained that it had crashed. At 4.35 pm, a tweet from the verified Twitter handle of the Aarogya Setu mobile application said the COWIN portal is working and that there was a minor glitch at 4 pm, which was fixed.

At 4.54 pm, a tweet from the same handle stated: “Vaccination appointments for 18 plus will be possible once the state governments and private vaccination centres schedule vaccination sessions. Registration is happening on cowin.gov.in.”

Registration for the newly-eligible category for Covid-19 vaccination is possible through the COWIN platform and the 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 walkins will not be allowed initially, officials said.

Those above 45 years of age can still avail the facility of on-site registration to get vaccinated, they added.

Also, from May 1, the types of anti-coronavirus vaccines and their prices will be displayed on the COWIN portal for the citizens to make an informed choice at the time of booking an appointment at a private vaccination centre.

Beginning May 1, the coronavirus vaccinations will follow two tracks – those above the age of 44 will continue to get free