Users can book vaccination slots on the Paytm app on the basis of age, location, vaccine type, dose number, etc. They can also pick between free and paid vaccines
Paytm on Monday announced that its users will now be able to search, discover and book their vaccination slots for both Covishield and Covaxin at the nearest centre via the app.
The move comes after the Centre had late last month introduced fresh guidelines for the integration of CoWIN with third-party developers, easing the way for the latter to provide vaccine bookings via their applications.
The government had cleared 91 such apps for offering COVID-19 vaccine booking slots in India. Paytm was among the platforms to have received the approval. Users can book vaccination slots on the app on the basis of age, location, vaccine type, dose number, etc. They can also pick between free and paid vaccines.
“Paytm users can now search, discover & also book their vaccination slots for both Covaxin and Covishield at the nearest centre through the Paytm app. The service would help Indians seamlessly book vaccination slots and gain immunity, helping in fighting the ongoing pandemic,” Paytm said in a statement.
CoWIN head RS Sharma recently said over a dozen entities, including large digital companies like Paytm, MakeMyTrip and Infosys, are looking at approval to offer vaccine bookings. Previously, giants like Facebook and Google and 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 CoWIN platform to secure an appointment.
In May, Paytm too launched a ”Vaccine Finder” feature on the app to help users find leads for vaccine bookings, including information such as the type of vaccine available and the fee charged for it.
“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 centre and get vaccinated,” a Paytm spokesperson said.
India has been ramping up vaccination to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The country has so far administered over 25.4 crore jabs to eligible beneficiaries.
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.
