With India's COVID-19 vaccination drive slated for expansion, the government on Wednesday opened registrations for all individuals above the age of 18. However, even as the clock struck four, complaints began pouring in via social media.
While some were unable to obtain an OTP to register themselves, others found themselves unable to open the CoWIN website. Going by the complaints from many Twitter users, similar problems were faced by many using the Aarogya Setu app to register themselves and book an appointment.
While we at the Free Press Journal managed to open the website, we could not move beyond the OTP verification step despite several attempts. One Twitter user claimed that while the OTP eventually arrived, the site was now refusing to let the code be typed in.
A few did manage to eventually reach the webpage where one is expected to enter the desired location (district). However, the confusion was far from over, with some being informed that there were no vaccination centres in their district. Going my screengrabs shared on Twitter as well as the personal experiences of members of the FPJ team, the corresponding eligibility criteria has not been updated when it came to hospitals and vaccination centres. Many complained that they were being shown Centres where people were able to book a slot only if they were aged 45 or above - the criteria for the ongoing phase of inoculation.
