COVID-19 VACCINATION REGISTRATION- INITIATIVES BY STARTUPS

With the Government announcing the widespread roll out of vaccines to every person above the age of 18 years amidst the shortages of doses across the country, the CoWIN portal is surfeited with millions of people trying to register and find available vaccination slots nearest to them. Struggling to register, let alone find a slot available, the Government released the public CoWIN API’s, which allowed developers across the country to aid the Government in the fast-track mass inoculation drive in the country.

HealthifyMe, a digital wellness and health-tech startup that has seen an immense increase in user traction and revenues over the pandemic phase, launched a new tool on its platform under the ‘CoviFit’ initiative – “Vaccinateme.in”. Using the CoWIN API’s, the platform allows users to locate available vaccination slots in real time in the areas/districts nearest to them. The tool offers various filters that allows you to categorize your search based on – Age (18+ or 45+), Choice of Vaccine (Covaxin or Covishield), District, Pin Code, Type of Vaccination Centre (Free or Paid). Based on the filters, it curates the list of available vaccination slots, and upon availability, bookings can be made in real time on the CoWIN portal.

However, upon non-availability of slots, it provides an option for a notification-based alert. On the opening up of a slot, the user is notified via an email, SMS or on WhatsApp. Vaccinateme.in can be accessed either through the website or on the HealthifyMe application. Apart from providing this feature under their ‘CoviFit’ initiative, the company is also offering free access to immunity and nutritional workshops, live workout sessions, and therapy sessions to help users battle the pandemic blues while improving mental as well as physical fitness right from home. Download HealthifyMe from Play Store or get the iOS version here. 

Spice Money, a rural fintech company with over 500,000 Adhikari’s (Entrepreneurs) offering cash deposit, mini-ATM, insurance, loans, bill payments, online shopping, Pan Card, and mPoS services. Extending their reach across the rural and semi-urban regions in India, Spice Money Services are available through the Spice Money App (Adhikaris App) or the web portal. Witnessing a growth rate at 150% year on year, the company has already managed financial transactions worth $12 billion. Helping the vaccination drive reach rural India, Spice Money has launched a dedicated assistance program for Covid-19 vaccination registration through their established network covering 18,000 PIN Codes across India. Digital illiteracy and the lack of information are the biggest barriers impacting the online self-registration COVID-19 vaccination drive in rural India. Spice Money, through a drive, is spreading awareness and educating their network of Spice Money Adhikaris (SMA) to dispel the myths around vaccination that exist within small communities. The SMA’s play a vital role in overcoming this barrier and making the entire process inclusive and smooth, and the Digital Dukaan’s operated by them will act as registration help centers.

“The Spice Money Adhikaris form the backbone of India’s financial inclusion efforts and it is our duty to ensure their safety at each step. We are offering our assistance in the process to avail the covid-19 jabs as part of DFS’ initiative to vaccinate BFSI employees on priority. We are also mobilizing our SMAs to help rural communities in their areas with self-registration for the vaccines. Through this initiative, we want to play our part to support the vaccination drive in rural India,” said Sanjeev Kumar, CEO, Spice Money. Currently, to facilitate vaccination of SMA’s on priority, the company has created a digital folder with all necessary documents that they need to carry to the vaccination centre, including their Spice Money ID card, government ID proof, DSF letter and a copy of their self-registration slip, among others, whereas the rural customers can register via the integrated registration portal on their app. Rural citizens can also call on 1800 572 1572 to find out available Spice Money Adhikaris near them. 

Apart from these, efforts have been made by Paytm, who launched Covid-19 Vaccine Finder on their Mini App Store which uses the CoWIN API as well, providing real-time access to available vaccination slots based on pin codes or districts, and also provides an option for real-time alerts to notify in case of any openings in slots in their destined area. PayNearby has also adapted the CoWIN portal on their application that can be accessed at all retail stores in the country with touchpoints covering more than 17,500 PIN Codes across India. The PayNearby Digital Pradhans will help the users throughout the entire process of registration and pre-scheduling of appointments would drastically reduce the flocking of people at vaccination centers and help to ease the process of vaccine deployment.