New Delhi Aug 24 PTI Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said that COVID-19 vaccine slots can now be booked via WhatsAppElaborating on the process he said one needs to send Book Slot to MyGovIndia Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp verify and then follow the requisite stepsPaving a new era of citizen convenience Now book COVID19 vaccine slots easily on your phone within minutes Send Book Slot to MyGovIndia Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp Verify OTP and follow the stepsBook today wame919013151515 Mandaviya tweeted PTI UZM DV DV

New Delhi [India], August 24 (ANI): In a bid to make the inoculation process easier, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced that COVID-19 vaccination slots can now be easily booked on WhatsApp.

New Delhi Aug 24 PTI WhatsApp on Tuesday said the MyGov Corona Helpdesk on its platform will now allow users to locate their nearest vaccination centre and book their vaccine appointments On August 5 MyGov and WhatsApp had introduced the ability for users to download vaccine certificates from the chatbot and so far over 32 lakh certificates have been downloaded by users across the country The MyGov Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp since its launch in March 2020 has emerged as one of most authentic sources of COVID-related information during the pandemic and served as a critical instrument in fighting the public-health crisis for over 41 million users across India it added MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh said the MyGov Corona Helpdesk has been a path-breaking technological solution that benefited millions of citizens across the nation Since its launch MyGov Corona Helpdesk enabled with support from Haptik and Turnio has evolved into a go-to platform that is not only helping citizens with authentic Corona-related information but is now also aiding them in the process of vaccine booking as also finding vaccination centers and slots and downloading vaccination certificates he added It is enabling digital inclusion in the true sense as most people find the AI based interface enabled on WhatsApp easier to navigate he further said Our collaboration has unlocked technologys potential to extend benefits to citizens at scale Judging by the large numbers of people who have placed their trust in the MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot and availed themselves of the benefits this is an important step in our journey to become a digitally empowered country As a platform we are fully committed to supporting our Governments efforts to help fight this pandemic WhatsApp Public Policy Director Shivnath Thukral said To contact MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot citizens can save the WhatsApp number 91 9013151515 on their phones start a chat by typing Book Slot and send it to the number This will generate a six-digit one-time password on the respective mobile phone number Users then choose a preferred date and location based on the pincode and vaccine type All users can follow this sequence to get a confirmation of their centre and day of their vaccine appointment PTI SR ANS ANS