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<ul><li>India has opened up registrations for the third phase of COVID-19 vaccinations.</li><li>The <keyword id="11170656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin-servers">CoWIN servers</keyword> have crashed due to the surge in the number of people registering.</li><li>Social media users took to Twitter to troll CoWIN and <keyword id="65866" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IRCTC">IRCTC</keyword> has also become a target of the trolls.</li></ul>As India opens up the third phase of vaccination for people above the age of 18 years, the servers of CoWIN have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/cowin-server-crashes-as-thousands-of-indians-rush-to-register-for-covid-19-vaccination/articleshow/82291313.cms">crashed</a> due to the number of people rushing to register for the vaccine. Amidst all the gloom, some people have used the crash issue to troll the CoWIN portal and India’s official train booking platform IRCTC, a listed company which is infamous for its unreliable servers has been caught in the crosshairs. Let’s take a look at some of the trending memes. <div type="twitter" handle="Sk_krMemer" handlename="SK_Memer😈" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1365905146094391298/_lOu7yjx_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Meanwhile CoWin to IRCTC: #cowinregistration #CoWinRegistration #CoWin #CowinPortal #CowinApp #IRCTC https://t.co/MKrTHDS1Ll" createdat="1619610023000" id="1387371108580564994"></div> A still from Bollywood movie ‘War’ is used to show that the CoWIN servers are simply following in the footsteps of IRCTC. <div type="twitter" handle="cowinapp" handlename="Cowin" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1387366080897699841/FaedgXzg_normal.jpg" favoritecount="9" retweetcount="2" status="After Cowin server down, IRCTC trending 😁 #cowinregistration #irctc https://t.co/m8GBhPE4WZ" createdat="1619609091000" id="1387367202949636096"></div> A still from the movie Dhamaal, comparing Javed Jaffrey to IRCTC. <div type="twitter" handle="aryaKeshav" handlename="Keshav | केशव" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1316470984321298432/AJ_6rtVu_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Meanwhile, IRCTC to CoWin portal : #cowinregistration #VaccineRegistration https://t.co/Q1XRgj1MQZ" createdat="1619608954000" id="1387366626530500612"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="indstreetbets" handlename="Indian Street Bets" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1356196586594820097/eUcWEom__normal.jpg" favoritecount="205" retweetcount="35" status="Figured it out.The guy who developed the #Cowin site,the guy who developed IRCTC and the guy who developed the Hdf… https://t.co/7ls5yaruZ4" createdat="1619607835000" id="1387361935159484417"></div> Another user posted the popular Spiderman meme taking a dig at the developers of CoWIN, HDFC net banking and IRCTC. <div type="twitter" handle="yuvrajuv444" handlename="Yuvraj Pratap Rao // DM FOR COVID RESOURCES" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1387344301378605058/dUyFm7f7_normal.jpg" favoritecount="59" retweetcount="6" status="#cowinregistrationAfter a high traffic on site Site be like 😂 https://t.co/V2c6PhICEG" createdat="1619606863000" id="1387357855137689601"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="SurajPrabhakar5" handlename="Suraj Prabhakar 🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1381295537027121155/NltuwWTk_normal.jpg" favoritecount="456" retweetcount="83" status="Irctc to cowin #cowinregistration https://t.co/0FOUy2N4GL" createdat="1619606478000" id="1387356243635806212"></div> A still from the popular web series Mirzapur. <div type="twitter" handle="backpack_nomad" handlename="Rohit" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1036854535132782592/j1r_Kaur_normal.jpg" favoritecount="409" retweetcount="75" status="Cowin website down.Meanwhile people to the govt: #cowinregistration https://t.co/EJiZQzBJ9o" createdat="1619606593000" id="1387356725683003392"></div> A user takes a dig at the government’s inadequate planning. <div type="twitter" handle="sruthisagar" handlename="Sruthisagar Yamunan" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1349738471817035780/DA9Juaif_normal.jpg" favoritecount="7" retweetcount="1" status="Waiting for OTP on CoWin.... https://t.co/rZX5F6DysJ" createdat="1619608330000" id="1387364007439261697"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="gorakshnadam" handlename="Gorakshnadam" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1382666162832502784/m8Uybo3p_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="#cowinregistration #VaccineRegistration https://t.co/iwY9HydNbN" createdat="1619608524000" id="1387364822929444864"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="BhavtoshU" handlename="ℬ𝒽𝒶𝓋𝓉ℴ𝓈𝒽 𝓊𝓅𝒶𝒹𝒽𝓎𝒶𝓎" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1327835292594622464/XPlEXpPb_normal.jpg" favoritecount="34" retweetcount="7" status="Indians waiting for #CoWin website to come back#cowinregistration #VaccineRegistration https://t.co/6kjgXC8dQb" createdat="1619607486000" id="1387360468356927498"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="BhavtoshU" handlename="ℬ𝒽𝒶𝓋𝓉ℴ𝓈𝒽 𝓊𝓅𝒶𝒹𝒽𝓎𝒶𝓎" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1327835292594622464/XPlEXpPb_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3" retweetcount="0" status="Indians waiting for #CoWin website to come back....pt2#cowinregistration #VaccineRegistration https://t.co/u2AL4eDhZX" createdat="1619608431000" id="1387364431374340101"></div> Users have not been able to get an OTP on the CoWIN app. <div type="twitter" handle="trivedigvn" handlename="trivedi gvn" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1255080674010132480/idXeN7pO_normal.jpg" favoritecount="2" retweetcount="0" status="As expected #cowinregistration #VaccineRegistration https://t.co/L6IapIYG4O https://t.co/J6SiyWE0UK" createdat="1619608496000" id="1387364706323603461"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="iamhrj27" handlename="ಹೃಷಿಕೇಶ್ ಜೆ" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1386366230437584899/OmGsWejl_normal.jpg" favoritecount="19" retweetcount="4" status="COWIN servers :#cowinregistration https://t.co/6pTP5xcWQp" createdat="1619606487000" id="1387356277978796039"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="KaagazS" handlename="Kaagaz Scanner" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1345294127882063874/UvFi_cEC_normal.jpg" favoritecount="100" retweetcount="19" status="IRCTC to #cowinregistration portal - https://t.co/Vrov0GKmvD" createdat="1619607096000" id="1387358833085849602"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="Meghanadh_B" handlename="M B #MaskUp😷😷" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1370951814154051584/EeCe0N7k_normal.jpg" favoritecount="289" retweetcount="33" status="Me and my bois waiting for OTP from Cowin Portal 🙆🙆#cowinregistration https://t.co/wr7ACwUwMG" createdat="1619608774000" id="1387365873589968898"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="honestly_says" handlename="HONESTLY SAYS 🇮🇳" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1378354327522172931/YSBdbhdd_normal.jpg" favoritecount="52" retweetcount="12" status="#cowinregistration*Me after tapping multiple time on send OTP* https://t.co/rQ0YANgyqs" createdat="1619606997000" id="1387358417027616774"></div> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/cowin-server-crashes-as-thousands-of-indians-rush-to-register-for-covid-19-vaccination/articleshow/82291313.cms">CoWIN server crashes as thousands of Indians rush to register for COVID-19 vaccination</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms">CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-how-to-register-yourself-on-cowin-and-aarogya-setu-apps-if-you-are-18-plus/articleshow/82242963.cms">COVID-19 vaccine: How to register yourself on CoWIN and Aarogya Setu apps if you are 18 plus</a>

A listed company got caught in all the trolling triggered by the failure of India's vaccine registration apps

<ul><li>The registration for vaccination for those between 18-45 years old opened up finally, on Wednesday, at 4 p.m.</li><li>Servers of the <keyword id="10529896" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="coWin-app">CoWIN app</keyword> and website, <keyword id="173550" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Umang">UMANG</keyword> app and Aarogya Setu app crashed.</li><li>Earlier, hundreds of people had stayed up till 12 midnight on Wednesday to register for the app, only to know the vaccination wasn’t opening up until 4 pm.</li></ul>The registration for vaccination for those between 18-45 years old opened up finally, on Wednesday, at 4 p.m. and as expected servers of the CoWIN app and website, UMANG app and Aarogya setu app crashed. However, soon after the Aarogya Setu app started working. Additonally, the CoWIN website worked well for users, instead of the app. <div type="image" title="cowin app" msid="82292082" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The CoWIN app crashed as the registration opened for all at 4 pm&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <div type="image" title="umang app" msid="82292069" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Umang app servers had also crashed at 4 pm&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Users took to Twitter to complain about the servers crashing. Earlier, users had also complained that they weren’t receiving the one time password (OTP) required to login to the apps. Hundreds of people stayed up till 12 a.m. on Wednesday, as anticipation was high for the registration for vaccination for the 18-45 age population to open up, but to their disappointment the message still read “currently registration is allowed for citizens older than 45 years only.” The Indian government had announced that registration for vaccination between 18-45 years old would start through the CoWIN and Aarogya Setu apps at 12 a.m. on April 28. However, through a Telegram channel for MyGov, an update had been sent that registrations would open at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. CoWIN servers down at 4 p.m. due to overwhelming server load The crashing of the server at 4 p.m. due to heavy load didn’t come as a surprise to many. The government servers are not designed to handle a higher number of connections at the same time. When many people try to access the same website, the servers get overstressed and fail to handle requests. In simple words, it's like a lot of people rushing inside a building that has a small entrance that can let only two people in at a time. This comes with poor IT infrastructure to cut costs because server maintenance is an expensive task. This isn't the first time a government-led app has crashed or has faced server issues. For long now, the Indian Railways backed IRCTC has been at the centre point of all jokes for crashing repeatedly.

CoWIN server crashes as thousands of Indians rush to register for COVID-19 vaccination

<ul><li>The <keyword id="10440405" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin">CoWIN</keyword> app doesn't let you know when a COVID vaccine slot becomes available, but these Indian coders have found a way out.</li><li>Vaccine appointments, especially for those between the ages of 18 to 45 years, and hard to come by in the face of vaccine shortages.</li><li>Coders in India are stepping up by creating websites and scripts to help send alerts to people about when a vaccination slot becomes available in their area.</li></ul> Not only are COVID-19 vaccines in short supply, but appointment slots for those between the age of 18 to 45 years are also scarce. However, coders in India are coming to the rescue. For instance, the engineering manager at PhonePe, <a href="https://twitter.com/debarko/status/1388549978721636354">Debarko De</a>, has posted a script on code hosting platform GitHub to help people in Bangalore looking for appointment slots. Agra-based software developer Amit Agarwal has created a <a href="https://twitter.com/labnol/status/1388556580325453824">COVID-19 vaccine tracker</a>, built with Google Sheets, so that people can get alerts over email whenever an appointment opens up for a particular age group within a prescribed pincode. Many are questioning whether such an endeavour is legal or not. But many more are questioning why the CoWIN platform — the main portal provided by the government to register for a vaccine, find a slot and get your certificate — doesn’t already have this functionality. <div type="image" title="cowin slots" msid="82383448" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;No slots were available for people between the ages of 18 to 45 years on April 28, when the CoWIN platform opened up registration for that age group&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Ravi Srinivasan, the chief facilitator at the ed-tech platform Code Space, told Business Insider that Agarwal’s script can be used to look for vaccination centres and appointments outside of Bangalore, too, by simply changing the pin code. “The public API just allows you to see what slots are available by district, age etc. But it doesn’t let you register. For getting an appointment, you need the protected API,” he said. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Coders are plugging the holes in the CoWIN platform" comment="subhead" text="Coders are plugging the holes in the CoWIN platform">Coders are plugging the holes in the CoWIN platform</cmsannotation> Another programmer, Berty Thomas, pushed out a full fledged website called <a href="http://www.under45.in">under45.in</a> for those between the age of 18 to 45 years, looking to get their first jab. The site is a little slow to load, but once you’re in, all you have to do is select your state and district to see appointment availability. He also created multiple groups on <a href="https://twitter.com/BertyThomas/status/1388477672901120003">Telegram</a> for those who wish to receive alerts for their respective districts. The list is not exhaustive, but does cover most of the main metropolitan regions across the country. And Thomas isn’t using the government’s API to do it. The API is only powering the alerts, not storing your information. Similar sites like <a href="http://www.getjab.in">getjab.in</a> and <a href="http://www.findslot.in">findslot.in</a> are also doing the same thing. And, the reason they’re being allowed to stick around is because users still have to login into the CoWIN platform to register. That part of the process cannot be done externally. This is important because this is where the government draws the line between what is allowed and what is not allowed to be done with its APIs. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is an API?" comment="subhead" text="What is an API?">What is an API?</cmsannotation> An application programming interface, or API, is basically a bridge between two applications. It’s like the waiter who takes your order, ensures that it gets relayed to the chef, and then brings you your final meal. In the case of looking for CoWIN appointment slots, you’re placing your request on a website, and that website then relays it to the API, like the customer at the restaurant. The API then checks with the CoWIN portal — or the chef — before showing you the availability of slots. The Indian government opened up the CoWIN APIs to allow third party access, on April 28. They can be found on the government’s API Setu website which contains authentication, metadata, beneficiary registration, vaccination appointment and certificate APIs. With these APIs, the third party users can access information like vaccination centres, list of districts, vaccination appointments among others. There are two types of APIs -- public and protected. Using public APIs is not a problem and they’re freely available on the government site. To use the protected APIs, on the other hand, the government needs an organisation to put in for a special approval, which is a whole lot of red tape to cut through. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="There is still no data capture policy in place for third party access" comment="subhead" text="There is still no data capture policy in place for third party access">There is still no data capture policy in place for third party access</cmsannotation> Last month, an organisation called Project Step One created a bot on WhatsApp that would allow people to register for the vaccine. It undercut the requirement of having to log into the official website or use the CoWIN app. But it was shut down by the government for being a ‘<a href="https://twitter.com/PIBFactCheck/status/1381510698727997440">fake</a>’ service. <div type="twitter" handle="Projectstepone" handlename="StepOne" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1255874944098947073/hj_yObMf_normal.jpg" favoritecount="9" retweetcount="3" status="We have paused our #COVID19 vaccination #WhatsApp chatbot after receiving call from @MoHFW_INDIA. The bot was a fre… https://t.co/ViOhPK0bzY" createdat="1618464893000" id="1382568088210599941"></div> The primary concern around the service being offered by Step One, a non-profit organisation, was the potential risk posed by privacy issues. In order to book an appointment, or even register, users have to share data that is personal and highly sensitive in nature. According to Step One, it does not store any of the data. It was only using the government’s open APIs, the bot passed user data to COWIN servers, and none of data was accessed by the organisation. It even offered up the code for its WhatsApp bot for further examination, but to no avail. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-india-download-release-date-everything-we-know-so-far/articleshow/82383038.cms">PUBG Mobile India to relaunch as Battlegrounds Mobile India – here’s what we know so far</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-healthy-subscriber-growth-and-jios-disappointing-performance-send-the-stock-rallying/articleshow/82380913.cms">Airtel shines as price hikes, healthy subscriber growth and Jio’s disappointing performance send the stock rallying</a>

Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots

<ul><li>The country yesterday began the second drive of vaccination to inoculate a massive chunk of the population aged above 60 and above 45 with comorbidities.</li><li>Furious and worried citizens took to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to complain.</li><li>As per the latest data available from the ministry of health and family welfare, nearly 14 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered in India.</li><li>Apart from issues of slot availability, people also faced major technical glitches while signing up on the Co-WIN app.</li><li>Check out the latest news and updates on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/">Business Insider</a>. </li></ul>Citizens around the country turned to the Co-WIN app, as India kicked off the second and the most extensive phase, yet, of the vaccination drive against Covid-19, and many of them were disappointed when they could not find vaccination slots at hospitals near them. Furious and worried citizens took to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to complain. People on social media posted that they couldn’t find any slots on the Co-WIN app. However, when some of them visited the COVID-19 vaccination centre physically, they were vaccinated. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="81268236" title="SIMPLY PUT: Here is how to register and what documents to carry for the COVID-19 vaccination drive from March 1" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> As per the latest <a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/">data</a> available from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, nearly 14 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered in India, so far. <div type="twitter" handle="Shivangiyadav" handlename="Shivangi शिवांगी ‏ شیوانگی" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1359521783188127752/ndsXQvT-_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Addendum: We tried at all the hospitals nearby but the time slot through CoWin is proving to be a big hindrance. Mo… https://t.co/GkxN8wBy0U" createdat="1614680974000" id="1366697179738333187"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="shriharijk" handlename="Mask-social distancing-handwash- Shrihari Kulkarni" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/827533784815853568/Bk1ThQXQ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@moneycontrolcom @rssharma3 @chandrarsrikant Not really sure whether this is a joke or sarcasm, it is arrived at a… https://t.co/OefG8Dmw0U" createdat="1614674912000" id="1366671753666174977"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="sherryshroff" handlename="Scherezade Shroff" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1355382037381849089/1Bqd6jkj_normal.jpg" favoritecount="6" retweetcount="0" status="There are no vaccine slots available for 4 weeks for senior citizens on the cowin site anywhere!!! Did anyone manag… https://t.co/4HrSSfjU7l" createdat="1614674403000" id="1366669620149506056"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="amoldmahajan" handlename="AMOL MAHAJAN" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/467552980900659200/sVMUfxvA_normal.jpeg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="CoWin app and websites do not show any slots open for 60+ age citizens across pune, what to do, even hospital names… https://t.co/VBAokX1Cat" createdat="1614677772000" id="1366683752189947907"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="BrigSaini" handlename="virandra saini" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1266634916097191937/Yff5fDSs_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="#COVID19Vaccine Though registration can be done on CoWIN 2.0 portal, one can not schedule vaccination as all slots… https://t.co/9DQlGHVAZx" createdat="1614677365000" id="1366682042763595782"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="snehachirps" handlename="Sneha Singh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/453268274088652800/P7VKylqC_normal.jpeg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="No slots available for vaccination on #CoWin portal in any hospital of Mumbai. Are all of them booked already or th… https://t.co/e9LWSypnxr" createdat="1614675767000" id="1366675339972288513"></div> Yesterday, the country began to inoculate a massive chunk of the population aged above 60 and above 45 with comorbidities. In its <keyword id="10856467" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="largest-vaccination">largest vaccination</keyword> drive ever, the government aims to reach around 27 crore people that are on the priority list for vaccination after the frontline workers. The government had earlier launched the Co-WIN app to make the vaccination process smooth. It requires citizens to register themselves in order to find a slot for the nearest COVID-19 vaccination centre. The story doesn’t end here. The app also faced major technical glitches. Also, technical glitches were being reported on the Co-WIN website and mobile application at the time of registration. Many reported that they were either stuck with a warning that “Co-WIN server is facing issues. Please try later” or they did not receive an OTP (one-time-password) upon entering the mobile number. <div type="twitter" handle="haragopalvajjha" handlename="Haragopal Vajjha" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/784787689769832449/o_spRJL-_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Looks like every one is overloaded the site CoWin is not working and saying :CoWIN Server is facing issues. Please try later" createdat="1614612874000" id="1366411548772605958"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="Someindrasingh" handlename="Someindra singh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1318677652207591424/u0P-YOu3_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@MoHFW_INDIA The cowin app is not able to send the OTP due to CORS error. I am not able to register anyone. @drharshvardhan" createdat="1614678371000" id="1366686260828336128"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="srinivas2112" handlename="Srini" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/757971342247333889/qAicBHva_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Unable to register, unable to login. Both by #CoWIN and #arogyasetu app for vaccination to senior citizens. When w… https://t.co/oCkcdTE100" createdat="1614658836000" id="1366604327222009856"></div> SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/ritesh-agarwal-kishore-biyani-and-acharya-balkrishna-net-worth-went-down-in-year-2020-as-per-hurun-list/slidelist/81293374.cms">OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal and Future Group’s Kishore Biyani did not make the cut this year to be among India’s richest billionaires</a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/ritesh-agarwal-kishore-biyani-and-acharya-balkrishna-net-worth-went-down-in-year-2020-as-per-hurun-list/slidelist/81293374.cms"></a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/these-are-the-best-national-highways-in-india-in-terms-of-efficiency-safety-and-user-services/slidelist/81291257.cms">These are the best national highways in India in terms of efficiency, safety and user services</a>

Citizens face issues in availability of slots and major technical glitches on the Co-WIN app as India kicks off its largest vaccination drive ever

<ul><li>Kaspersky researchers have warned about a new <keyword id="54201" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="malware" source="Orion">malware</keyword> that is targeting gamers.</li><li>The <keyword id="12192194" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bloodystealer" source="Orion">BloodyStealer</keyword> malware targets session data, passwords, bank card details, browser autofill data and more.</li><li>The malware also targeted account details of users on Epic Games, Steam, GOG, Origin and Bethesda.</li></ul>Cyberattacks have been increasing over the years due to an increase in online users. Now, a new <a href="https://securelist.com/bloodystealer-and-gaming-assets-for-sale/104319/">report</a> by researchers from popular cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has revealed that cybercriminals have started targeting gamers and their accounts with a new malware dubbed as BloodyStealer. The BloodyStealer malware is capable of fetching session data and passwords and cookie exfiltration. The stealer is capable of targeting bank card details, browser autofill data, screenshots from the computer, desktop and uTorrent client files and more. As per the report, the malware also targeted the session details of clients such as Epic Games, Steam, Origin, GOG, Bethesda, Telegram and VimeWorld. Some of the popular titles available on these stores include GTA V, Fortnite, Battlefield, FIFA 2022 among others. As per the researcher, the malware was first spotted in March 2021 after an advertisement for a malware named as BloodyStealer was noticed on a Russian underground forum. The author asked potential customers to contact him using Telegram. “What caught our attention is BloodyStealer’s capability to fetch information related to computer games installed on an infected system. BloodyStealer targets major online gaming platforms, such as Steam, Epic Games Store, EA Origin, etc.” said Dmitry Galov, researcher, Kaspersky. The BloodyStealer malware was priced at 700 RUB (approx. $10) for one month and a lifetime purchase was priced at 3000 RUB (approx. $40). The data scraped by the malware is sent to a command and control (C&amp;C) server which can then be accessed using Telegram or a dark web panel. “Both C&amp;C servers are placed behind Cloudflare, which hides their original IPs and provides a layer of protection against DDoS and web attacks,” added Galov. The researcher added a few tips for users to protect their gaming accounts from such malware. <ul><li>Enable two-factor authentication for all your accounts.</li><li>Purchase games from official sites only and avoid unknown third-party websites.</li><li>Avoid clicking links received in emails from unknown senders as it could be a phishing attempt.</li><li>Do not click on links directing you to external sites from game chat. This also includes messages from unknown gamers.</li><li>Be careful while entering your username and password on third-party websites.</li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/vultur-android-banking-malware-can-screen-record-everything-on-your-phone/articleshow/85002118.cms">This new Android banking malware can screen record everything on your phone</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/a-covid-19-sms-malware-is-targeting-users-in-india-as-they-look-for-alternatives-to-cowin-for-vaccine-registration/articleshow/82388898.cms">A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/malware-infiltrates-the-defenses-of-common-antivirus-softwares-like-mcafee-kaspersky-symantec-and-others/articleshow/78515377.cms">Malware infiltrates the defenses of common antivirus softwares like McAfee, Kaspersky, Symantec and others</a>

Thousands of gamers targeted in a new cyberattack – Epic Games, Steam, Origin, Telegram and other login sessions at risk

<ul><li>Most of these trojan apps offered photo editing and app lock features.</li><li>These apps asked users to sign in with Facebook to unlock features and disable in-app advertisements.</li><li>If you used these apps and logged in with your Facebook account, you may want to change your passwords now.</li></ul>Google has been emphasising its work on improving <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-said-to-rival-apples-privacy-push-with-android-12-while-taking-care-of-its-advertising-business/articleshow/82729724.cms">Android security</a> with various measures over the past few years, but there’s still a lot left to be done. A new research report has revealed that <keyword id="588210" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="android-apps">Android apps</keyword> with over 5.8 million downloads on the Google Play store have been caught stealing users’ <keyword id="980677" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook-passwords">Facebook passwords</keyword>. Security firm Doctor Web has published a <a href="https://news.drweb.com/show/?i=14244&amp;lng=en">report</a> that identifies these 9 trojan apps which offered photo editing and app lock features. All these apps were found on the Google Play store, amassing nearly 6 million downloads amongst themselves. The report goes on to add that Google had only removed some of these apps from the Play store, as of July 1, 2021, when the report went live. PIP Photo app was the most downloaded among these apps, with 5 million downloads of its own. How did these apps steal Facebook passwords? All the apps mentioned in the report offered real features, causing the unsuspecting users to trust them. They even allowed users to unlock more features and disable in-app advertisements by logging into their Facebook accounts. These apps exploited the widespread use of Google and Facebook login – something that is offered by many apps and games – to steal passwords of unsuspecting users. The research firm describes the exploit mechanism below: “After receiving the necessary settings from one of the C&amp;C servers upon launch, they loaded the legitimate Facebook web page https://www.facebook.com/login.php into WebView. Next, they loaded JavaScript received from the C&amp;C server into the same WebView. This script was directly used to hijack the entered login credentials. After that, this JavaScript, using the methods provided through the JavascriptInterface annotation, passed the stolen login and password to the trojan applications, which then transferred the data to the attackers’ C&amp;C server. After the victim logged into their account, the trojans also stole cookies from the current authorization session. Those cookies were also sent to cybercriminals.” Here are the trojan apps mentioned in the report If you have any of these apps installed on your phone, you may want to uninstall them: <ol><li>PIP Photo</li><li>Processing Photo</li><li>Rubbish Cleaner</li><li>Horoscope Daily</li><li>App Lock Keep</li><li>Lockit Master</li><li>Horoscope Pi</li><li>App Lock Manager</li><li>Inwell Fitness</li></ol>As of July 5, Google has removed all of these apps from the Play Store. In addition to this, according to an Arstechnica <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/07/google-boots-google-play-apps-for-stealing-users-facebook-passwords/">report</a>, Google has also banned the developers of these apps, meaning they cannot submit any new apps. In case you downloaded these apps and used the Facebook login option, it is recommended that you unauthorize these apps from your Facebook account and change your password. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/a-covid-19-sms-malware-is-targeting-users-in-india-as-they-look-for-alternatives-to-cowin-for-vaccine-registration/articleshow/82388898.cms">A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-fake-app-ransomware-malware-bitcoin-android-demands-ransom-domaintools-2020-3?IR=T">A fake coronavirus tracking app is actually ransomware that threatens to leak social media accounts and delete a phone's storage unless a victim pays $100 in bitcoin</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/hackers-are-using-these-fake-coronavirus-maps-to-give-people-malware/articleshow/74598152.cms">Hackers are using these fake coronavirus maps to give people malware</a>

Android apps with over 5.8 million downloads caught stealing users’ Facebook passwords

<ul><li>India is set to open COVID-19 vaccination for all above 18 years of age from May 1, and the registration for the same started on Wednesday.</li><li>According to experts, people who have just recovered from COVID-19 have to wait for 90 days until you can take the vaccine.</li><li>India is in the midst of a gruesome second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.</li></ul>Disclaimer: This should not be considered medical advice. Please check with your doctor on medical procedures. India is in the midst of a gruesome second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and with vaccination being a key immuniser to the virus, people have been waiting for registrations to start. For the eighth consecutive day, India has reported over three lakh new daily COVID-19 cases. India is set to open COVID-19 vaccination for all above 18 years of age from May 1 and the registration for the same started on Wednesday. But if you have just recovered from COVID-19, you don’t need to join the queue. Well, at least not now. According to experts, people who have just recovered from COVID-19 have to wait for at least two months and upto 90 days until they can take the vaccine. “COVID-19 has been devastating in the past few days, and many lives have succumbed to it. Initiating the vaccination drive for adults will mean lesser infections and spread, and a prompt immune response to fight the complications. Every eligible candidate above 18 years must be vaccinated, and a person infected with COVID-19 can be vaccinated between 6-8 weeks of his recovery from the infection,” said Dr Sharwari Dabhade Dua, consultant physician, internal medicine and endocrinology at Madhukar Rainbow Hospitals. Many doctors suggested that 90 days after the recovery is ideal. The US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that, “If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine.” “Those who have just suffered from COVID-19 and recovered, you have to wait for 90 days until you can take the vaccine. If you have taken one dose of the vaccine and then developed COVID-19, in that case you have to wait for 60-90 days from illness for the second dose,” Dr. Harish Chafle, consultant of pulmonology and critical care at Global Hospitals in Mumbai told Business Insider. Dr. Chafle explained that if you have got COVID-19, you will naturally develop antibodies that will protect you from infection. “There is no point in getting a vaccine immediately when you already have a good natural immunity,” he said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/adar-poonawallas-serum-cuts-covishield-vaccine-price-for-state-governments-to-300-a-dose-after-much-backlash/articleshow/82293338.cms">Adar Poonawalla's Serum cuts Covishield vaccine price for state governments to ₹300 a dose after much backlash</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms">CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/cowin-server-crashes-as-thousands-of-indians-rush-to-register-for-covid-19-vaccination/articleshow/82291313.cms">CoWIN server crashes as thousands of Indians rush to register for COVID-19 vaccination</a>

If you have just recovered from COVID-19, experts say you don't need to join in on the rush for vaccination immediately

<ul><li>The promise of covid vaccines for the 18-44 age group from May 1 onwards looks murky for 2-3 weeks. </li><li>Delay is caused due to a shortage in vaccine supply. </li><li>Supply shortage has handcuffed states and hospitals to start inoculations from the given date.</li></ul>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">third wave of vaccination</a> in India kicks off on Saturday, but only a few will be able to get it due to the acute <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/country-likely-to-face-vaccine-shortages-till-july-isb-study/articleshow/82318887.cms">shortage of vaccines</a>. What's worse is that, if you don't get lucky to get a slot at a government vaccination centre then you might have to wait for around three weeks for some state-run hospitals and a minimum of five months to get one from the retail or 'free market'. So the promise of a vaccine for all adults is unlikely to be fulfilled in the near future. Private hospitals and some states are now considering postponing the vaccination drive by about two weeks from May 1, as they're still in talks with the vaccine makers. Local vaccine makers -- <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/news/serum-institute-insists-covishield-is-the-most-affordable-vaccine-in-the-market-today-says-price-has-been-increased-so-that-they-can-invest-into-scaling-up-production/articleshow/82232543.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Serum Institute of India</a> (SII) and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/bharat-biotechs-covaxin-can-neutralise-the-617-variant-of-the-deadly-virus-says-fauci/articleshow/82284591.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Bharat Biotech</a> have stated that 50% of their capacity will be dedicated to the Indian government's vaccination programme and the remaining 50% will be for state governments and private hospitals. SII's <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/vaccines-for-all-adults-unlikely-from-tomorrow-states-say-no-stocks-1796605-2021-04-30">current manufacturing capacity</a> is 6-7 crore doses per month while Bharat Biotech <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/bharat-biotechs-bsl-3-aims-to-produce-700-million-doses-of-covaxin-per-annum/articleshow/82306039.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">made around 2 crore doses</a> in April as against 1.5 crore doses in March. SII has also mentioned in its statement, “We would urge all corporate and private individuals to access the vaccine through the state facilitated machinery and private health systems. Post 4-5 months, the vaccine will be made available in retail and free trade.” <div type="twitter" handle="SerumInstIndia" handlename="SerumInstituteIndia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1215550504169885697/G1VMUu-e_normal.jpg" favoritecount="16523" retweetcount="5604" status="IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT https://t.co/bTsMs8AKth" createdat="1618988847000" id="1384765710329520131"></div> Maharastra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope, after announcing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/after-maharashtra-rajasthan-announces-free-covid-vaccination-for-18-45-age-group/articleshow/82244769.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">free vaccines for</a> the 18-44 age group, said on Wednesday, “due to non-availability of vaccines at present, vaccination between the ages of 18 and 44 will not start from 1 May." A similar statement was issued by Tope's counterparts in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jharkhand. Rajasthan’s Health Minister Raghu Sharma on Sunday said, “Serum Institute told us that till 15 May, they may not even be able to complete the prior order of the Centre." States are already facing delays in vaccine supply for those part of the second phase of vaccinations for the over 45 age population. Some states, such as Odisha, have already placed their order while some are still in talks with the vaccine manufacturers. "We have been told that the companies ideally need a lead time of eight weeks to deliver the vaccines," Rajan Khobragade, health secretary of Kerala, told <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/covid-19/cant-roll-out-covid-vaccine-drive-for-young-till-may-third-week-states-745458">IndiaSpend</a>. ALSO SEE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/covid-19-vaccine-india-needs-a-separate-queue-for-second-dose/articleshow/82304003.cms">India may end up wasting millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses if there is no separate queue for second shots</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/cowin-server-crashes-as-thousands-of-indians-rush-to-register-for-covid-19-vaccination/articleshow/82291313.cms">CoWIN server crashes as thousands of Indians rush to register for COVID-19 vaccination</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/delay-in-vaccination-may-lead-to-development-of-new-covid-19-variants-say-healthcare-experts/articleshow/82286996.cms">Delay in vaccination may lead to development of new COVID-19 variants, say healthcare experts</a>

COVID vaccines may take up to 5 months to reach private centres — governments say slots for all adults may open only after 2-3 weeks

<ul><li> Nearly 600 million more people in India will become eligible for getting the COVID-19 vaccine on May 1.</li><li>At the time, at least 40 million people will be eligible for their second dose and that number would rise every passing day, adding over 65 million people by the end of May.</li><li>According to government guidelines, the second dose needs to be administered within four to eight weeks of the first dose.</li></ul>There will be at least 40 million people eligible for the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine on May 1. According to the Indian government, the interval between the first and second dose should be four to eight weeks. “Most likely, after eight weeks, you should consider your first dose to be a waste of time,” Dr Kunal Sarkar, the chief cardiac surgeon and senior vice chairman of Medica Hospital in Kolkata, told Business Insider. Dr Sarkar’s view echoes the <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1706597">government guidelines</a> that said that the second dose of Covishield should be administered “not later than stipulated period of 8 weeks.” While a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00528-6/fulltext">Lancet study</a> has shown that a longer interval may improve the vaccine’s efficacy, the study itself recommended a 12-week interval between doses. Moreover, the vaccines currently in use are those that have been given emergency approval and it is wise to err on the side of caution especially with new variants of the virus emerging. “With COVAXIN, they maintain that the interval should be four weeks. With Covishield, as per their trial data, even they said four weeks. Then, based on certain experiences in the UK, it was stretched to six weeks,” said Sarkar. “Now, because of the irregularity in supply, it is anybody's guess… By and large, we are afraid if it stretches beyond eight weeks or so, then will the two-dose concept still remain valid? There is no data.” In order to ensure that people who already have the first dose do not get pushed behind in the queue, the Indian government should allow for separate counters and dedicated slots for people who are eligible for the second dose. This would be easier said than done given the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/vaccine-shortage-in-india-18-people-could-not-find-covid-19-dose-when-they-went-for-vaccination-in-first-ten-days-of-april-says-survey/articleshow/82014884.cms">current shortage </a>of vaccine supply across many states. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Description </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Number of doses </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Number of first doses given as of April 1 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">58,354,638 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Number of second doses given between April 2 to April 28 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16,572,965 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10-day average for second dose administration as of April 28 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">833,782.3 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">People likely to get vaccinated between April 29 and April 30 as per 10-day average </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,667,564.6 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Number of people likely to be eligible for the second dose on May 1 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">40,114,108.4 </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) On May 1, as the country opens up its vaccination drive to everyone above the age of 18 years, 600 million additional people will become eligible. This could lead to another crisis as another 40 million will already be waiting in the queue for the second dose. And that number will rise with every passing day, as the 65 million people above the age of 45 — who got the first dose after April 1 — complete their stipulated time of four to eight weeks and join the queue for the second dose. If they don’t get vaccinated in time, they will have to begin the vaccination cycle all over again. <div type="image" title="rush of people vaccine_edited" msid="82304037" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People queue up to get their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium in Visakhapatnam on April 28&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> According to Dr Marcus Ranney, founder and chief executive of Human Edge, the need to separate the people coming in for vaccination is also important to avoid the spreading of the virus at the centres. “As the window will open to 18-year-olds, they very clearly need to have centres that are earmarked for different populations. If they try and serve everyone from the same place, it’s just going to create chaos and may even fuel a much larger spread,” he told Business Insider. One way to stall the chaos is to prioritise those who need the second shot. Another filter that can be used is to ask those who may have been infected by COVID-19 in recent weeks to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/if-you-have-just-recovered-from-covid-19-experts-say-you-dont-need-to-join-in-on-the-rush-for-vaccination-immediately/articleshow/82302460.cms">stay out of the queue</a>. “What hasn’t been used as well as we could have done is the same methodology used with polio and other types of vaccines, which was more door to door — particularly for the elderly folks,” said Ranney. All in all, the government needs to come out with clear guidelines to ensure no one is left behind, and not one precious dose goes to waste — especially since India has already wasted 4.6 million doses till April 11. <div type="image" title="vaccine queue_edited" msid="82304124" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People wait in a long queue to get vaccinated in Visakhapatnam on April 27&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="There is going to be a crazy rush at vaccination centres in the absence of proper guidelines" comment="subhead" text="There is going to be a crazy rush at vaccination centres in the absence of proper guidelines">There is going to be a crazy rush at vaccination centres in the absence of proper guidelines</cmsannotation> This has become evident from the response to the opening up of online booking of vaccination slots. The government opened up registrations for people between the ages of 18 to 44 on April 28. And, before things could even take off, registration was delayed from midnight to 4:00 pm. According to the government, more than 3.5 million people registered within the first hour of the launch. But when it came to being able to book an appointment, they passed the buck onto state governments and private vaccination centers. When the floodgates opened, the CoWIN app, Aarogya Setu app and UMANG app’s servers crashed. Many of those who got the chance to register via the CoWIN website, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms">never found an open slot. </a> Even if the government were to take no new bookings, and only focus on those needing second shots at all centres, at the current rate of vaccination, it would take 48 days to just go through that lot. In such a scenario, it is not unimaginable that those who need the second shot never get the slot before their 12-week deadline. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The other challenge will be allocating the limited vaccine supplies" comment="subhead" text="The other challenge will be allocating the limited vaccine supplies">The other challenge will be allocating the limited vaccine supplies</cmsannotation> This would not have been a concern if India had enough vaccines to go around for everyone who wants it. However, that’s not the case because the government dragged its feet in placing the orders. On April 23, the government pledged to increase the monthly production of doses to around 100 million doses by September with the rate of immunisation slowing down amid rising cases. When the government opened up jabs for those above the age of 45 from May 1, it had expected the imported lot of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to arrive by then. While Russia is now sticking to the date, it is not clear how many doses will come in, especially after a brief attempt to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/exclusive-india-get-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-only-by-end-may-2021-04-22/">delay the supply</a> to the end of May. Having to repeat the first doses for even one person is a waste of precious resources. Managing a pandemic was never going to be easy. Imagining scenarios and preparing for the possibilities is the only way to keep things from spiraling out of control. The updated version of the story includes additional opinions from Dr Kunal Sarkar and the Lancet study, which recommended an interval of 12 weeks between two vaccine doses. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms">CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-price-sc-wants-the-indian-government-to-explain-about-covishield-and-covaxin-pricing/articleshow/82272913.cms">Supreme Court wants the Indian government to explain vaccine pricing — and clarify how many doses it will need as coverage expands from May 1</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/australia-suspends-incoming-flights-from-india-until-may-15/articleshow/82271595.cms">Australia suspends incoming flights from India until May 15 — IPL cricketers, coaches and broadcasters left in a bind</a>

India may end up wasting millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses if there is no separate queue for second shots

<ul><li>Adar Poonwalla, CEO of the biggest vaccine manufacturing company in the world — Serum Institute of India (SII) — believes India’s COVID-19 vaccine supply crunch will last at least another two months.</li><li>He claims that he is getting blamed for the shortage even though the impetus to be prepared for the second of COVID-19 infections is on the government.</li><li>This comes at a time when India’s daily increase in new cases of COVID-19 continues to remain above 300,000 per day and the vaccination drive is now open to nearly a billion people.</li></ul>Not only has the number of COVID-19 cases surging in the world’s second most populous country but there aren’t enough vaccines to go around, to keep the infection at bay. Not only are an estimated one billion people waiting for the vaccine in India, but the supply shortage is also unlikely to be resolved, any time soon. Chief executive of the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturing company, Serum Institute of India’s (SII) <keyword id="383467" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adar-Poonawalla">Adar Poonawalla</keyword>, told the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/01784671-3834-49d8-9640-fc5d95f92eaf">Financial Times</a> (FT) that the severe vaccine shortage is likely to continue until the company can increase production. And it needs time at least till July to go from its current 60 to 70 million doses to 100 million doses a month. And even that may fall short of India’s total requirement since it has now opened up its vaccination drive to everyone above the age of 18 years — that’s an addition of 600 million people to the 400 million who were already eligible before May 1. As of May 3, only 154 million people have received the vaccine. Of that, only 27.5 million have gotten <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/covid-19-vaccine-india-needs-a-separate-queue-for-second-dose/articleshow/82304003.cms">the second dose</a>. <div type="image" title="vaccine line_edited" msid="82366910" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Local people waiting for vaccination as they break social distance rules at the NMC Gandhinagar Vaccine center at Nagpur, Maharashtra&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> That’s two more months of people lining up in queues outside vaccine centres, where social distancing is difficult to maintain, increasing the likelihood of them catching the disease while not even getting the dose because stocks ran out. Many are questioning why the Modi administration chose to increase the demand for vaccines at a time when supply was already insufficient and ramping up production would take time. Others are maligning vaccine manufacturers, like Poonawalla, for creating a ‘<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-price-sc-wants-the-indian-government-to-explain-about-covishield-and-covaxin-pricing/articleshow/82272913.cms">seller’s market</a>’ for the vaccine. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Who’s to blame for the vaccine supply crunch?" comment="subhead" text="Who’s to blame for the vaccine supply crunch?">Who’s to blame for the vaccine supply crunch?</cmsannotation> SII is in charge of manufacturing the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in India under the name Covishield. The government placed an order of 21 million vaccines at the end of February without any indication that more will be needed. In March, it asked for another 110 million doses as the number of cases in India started to surge. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“I’ve been victimised very unfairly and wrongly… there were no orders, we did not think we needed to make more than one billion doses a year.”" auname="Adar Poonawalla told the Financial Times"></div> According to Poonawalla, the impetus is on the government to prepare for such a crisis, not the company. “Everybody really felt that India had started to turn the tide on the pandemic,” he told FT. He said he is the one getting death threats from politicians and the common man alike. In another interview with the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/adar-poonawalla-aggression-over-covid-vaccines-is-overwhelming-everyone-expects-to-get-theirs-first-bfqbgcm96?utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1619853834">Times of London</a>, Poonawalla claims he chose to stay back in London for a few extra days because the situation back at home was getting worse. “Just because you can’t supply the needs of X, Y or Z, you really want to guess what they are going to do,” he said. Meanwhile, experts believe that the disregard for COVID-19 appropriate behaviour at the massive <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/kumbh-mela-attended-by-3-5-million-pilgrims-as-india-becomes-the-second-most-covid-19-affected-country-in-the-world/slidelist/82044773.cms">Kumbh Mela</a>, which was attended by 3.5 million people, and the huge political rallies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala should have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/around-1700-people-test-positive-for-covid-19-in-hardiwar-kumbh-mela-from-april-10-14/articleshow/82083199.cms">addressed better</a> by the government. <div type="image" title="modi election crowd_edited" msid="82367018" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Massive crowd gathered in Kolkata to hear Narendra Modi addressing a public rally ahead of West Bengal state elections in April&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> India also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/india-has-authorized-the-sputnik-v-shot-russia-says-this-mean-its-covid-19-vaccine-is-now-approved-for-40-of-the-worlds-population-/articleshow/82047563.cms">authorised</a> the production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in India and said it would do the same for vaccines approved by the UK, US, Europe, and Japan. However, local manufacturers who have partnered to produce the Russian vaccine say it will be months before they’re in a place to actually start rolling Sputnik V off the lines. One of the reasons being how fast the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/india-will-receive-the-first-batch-of-russia-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-by-may-1/articleshow/82269061.cms">technology transfer</a> — the instructions on how to actually make the vaccine — occurs. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="India pumped up demand when there was already a vaccine shortage" comment="subhead" text="India pumped up demand when there was already a vaccine shortage">India pumped up demand when there was already a vaccine shortage</cmsannotation> Registrations for the vaccine opened up to those between the ages of 18 to 45 years on April 28. After an initial delay from midnight to 4:00 pm, the CoWIN servers — one of the portals used for vaccine registrations — crashed due to the sheer number of people <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/cowin-website-is-back-up-after-an-early-crash-finding-a-vaccination-slot-may-still-be-difficult/articleshow/82291583.cms">logging in</a>. The few lucky individuals who were able to get past the hurdle of registering themselves found only disappointment on the other side, as actual appointments were still restricted to those above the age of 45 years. Over the course of the next three days, many states put their hands up to say that they will be unable to open up slots for those between 18 to 45 years due to the shortage of vaccines — priority will be given to those waiting for their second dose. On Saturday, May 1, India crossed the threshold of 400,000 new cases of COVID-19 within a span of 24 hours. That was, ironically, the same day that India kicked off its vaccination drive for people between the ages of 18 to 45 years old. Despite the assumption that India was out of the woods when it came to the COVID-19 pandemic back in January, the second wave of infections is now hitting India harder than any other. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-power-says-it-has-no-such-decision-on-an-ipo-for-its-renewable-energy-business/articleshow/82365533.cms">Tata Power says it has ‘no such decision’ on an IPO for its renewable energy business</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/amid-covid-19-vaccine-shortage-indian-government-promises-to-provide-56-lakh-doses-to-states-and-uts-in-three-days/articleshow/82354079.cms">Amid COVID-19 vaccine shortage, Indian government promises to provide 56 lakh doses to states and UTs in three days</a>

You Searched For "cowin servers" and got 10 results

A listed company got caught in all the trolling triggered by the failure of India's vaccine registration apps

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Citizens face issues in availability of slots and major technical glitches on the Co-WIN app as India kicks off its largest vaccination drive ever

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If you have just recovered from COVID-19, experts say you don't need to join in on the rush for vaccination immediately

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COVID vaccines may take up to 5 months to reach private centres — governments say slots for all adults may open only after 2-3 weeks

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India may end up wasting millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses if there is no separate queue for second shots

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SII’s Adar Poonawalla estimates two more months of COVID-19 vaccine shortage in India — and the blame game is heating up

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