Bots can now help you find Covid-19 vaccine availability and nearest centre

Bots are helping people bypass server downtimes and long waiting lists on the Co-WIN app

Registration on the Co-WIN app by the Central government has been marked as a mandatory step for anyone seeking to get a vaccine against Covid-19. However, issues with the app, like the servers going down or appointments not being available, have irked many users.

There is hope, however, in the form of bots that are accessing the Co-WIN API to make appointments less of a hassle and more of a convenience.

Take for example, labnol - an open source, Google Sheets-based vaccine availability tracker by one Amit Agarwal.

"The government’s official website - cowin.gov.in - has a useful search section that allows you see the nearby vaccination centers in your city or zip code. You will also know how many vaccine doses are available at a specific center and the earliest date when the vaccine slots are likely to open up," Agarwal's blog says, offering step-by-step instructions on how to set the tracker up.

In Pics | How to register for Covid-19 vaccine for 18 years and above on Co-WIN website

Another code expert, Debarko De, has issued a code on GitHub which allows people to track the availability of vaccines near their place. It defaults to Bengaluru, but can easily be used for other locations with a simple change of the pin code. His code has evolved over the days, going from a simple availability checker to searching for open slots and alerting users when vaccines are available.

These are not the only ones, however, they do put some onus on the users to do a bit of legwork to get themselves running. Multiple sites like findslot and under45 (which feature Telegram alerts as well) are up and running, allowing people to track vaccine and slot availability relatively easily. They all run on the Co-WIN open API.

What is an API?

An application programming interface defines interactions between multiple applications or hardware-software intermediaries. It is kind of like having a third party that enables acquisition of a product or service - like the pump operator at a petrol bunk, or a waiter at a restaurant. An API takes a user's instructions and transfers it over to the application being used, and then returns the result.

The Co-WIN API is made public by the Central government on API Setu, will a lot of details to enable people to build their own vaccine trackers instead of waiting for long in the hope that a slot opens up near them. There are two classes of APIs available - Public APIs and Protected APIs. the Protected APIs require special autorisation, while the Public APIs can be accessed by anyone to build their own tracker.

So if you are looking to get your shots but the Co-WIN app is frustrating you, perhaps these services can help.