Phase 3 vaccination: CoWIN server down within minutes after it opened; 'minor glitch,' says Aarogya Setu

New Delhi, Apr 28: Minutes after commencing registration for vaccination for those between 18-45 years old opened up finally on Wednesday at 4 pm and as expected servers of the CoWIN app and website, UMANG app, and Aarogya Setu app crashed as lakhs tried to register themselves for vaccination.

Those looking to register for inoculation starting May 1 took to social media to share their experiences with the portal.

The official handle of the Aarogya Setu clarified that there was a minor glitch at 4pm which was fixed immediately. "Cowin Portal is working. There was a minor glitch at 4 PM that was fixed. 18 plus can register," it said with a screenshot of the website opening.

After registration, taking an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccine jab would be mandatory for those aged between 18 and 44 years as walk-ins will not be allowed initially, officials had said.

Those above 45 years can still avail the facility of on-site registration to get vaccinated, they said.

As India witnesses a surge in coronavirus cases, it has decided to allow everyone above 18 years of age to get vaccinated from May 1.

The inoculation process and documents to be provided to get the jab remains the same.

Also, from May 1, the types of anti-coronavirus vaccine and their prices will be displayed on the CoWIN portal for citizens to make an informed choice at the time of booking an appointment at a private vaccination centre.

While those aged 18 to 44 years will be eligible to receive vaccination on payment from any of the private COVID vaccination centres (CVCs), citizens below 45 years shall also be eligible to receive a jab from a government CVC in a state or Union Territory which decides to lower the minimum cut off age for eligibility.

As provided in the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy document, all priority groups, such as healthcare workers, frontline workers and citizens above aged 45 years or more (as on 01.01.2022), shall continue to be eligible for vaccination free of cost from government CVCs, or on payment from private CVCS.