Day 1 of registration for the much-awaited Covid-19 shot was not smooth for all in the target 18-44 age group, as the swamped Co-WIN app crashed immediately after it opened the sign-up. Not only the Co-Win app, but Aarogya Setu and Umang apps, which are interlinked, were also down for some time.

While some people could easily register themselves on the app, many complained about their inability to register. Most beneficiaries complained of the Co-Win App accepting registration only for those above 45.

According to RS Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority and Chairperson, Empowered Committee for administration of Covid-19 vaccine set up by the government, 35 lakh people registered within an hour of the opening at 4 pm on Wednesday. “Total registrations were 79,65,720. System is functioning as expected without any problems,” he added.

But beneficiaries have a different story to tell. According to them, for some time the app and its website were also not opening up time slots to users in many places because the respective State governments have not opened the centres, yet.

Initial glitches

According to Delhi resident Ajay Maletha, “The server was down and after an hour when I finally reached the last page it said only those above 45 could register. I checked many hospitals in different districts, all said the same and the website crashed again.”

Mumbai’s Leena Rupani said that even though she faced some hiccups initially when she started to register at 4 pm, she finally managed to get through after an hour. “While I could register myself and for my husband after a few failed attempts, there were no appointments available till June or beyond at pincodes near me,” said Rupani.

Ashok Kumar of Meerut said, “After not getting registered on Co-Win platform, I tried Aarogya Setu and Umang but still couldn’t register.”

When BusinessLine contacted a senior official at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to know about the glitches, he said, “Appointment for age 18 to 44 is based on slots made available by the private vaccinations centres as well as the respective State government. The minimum age for each vaccination centre is displayed with the name of the vaccination centre. Appointment slots are available where the age displayed is 18. More appointment slots will soon be offered. If slots are not currently available, please check again after some time,” he added.

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