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The <keyword id="22407175" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="U-WIN" source="keywords">U-WIN</keyword> portal, a replication of the <keyword id="19897423" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19" source="keywords">Covid-19</keyword> vaccine management system Co-WIN, is set for a pan-India launch likely by the end of August, aiming to maintain an electronic registry of routine immunisations, official sources said. Currently, U-WIN is in pilot mode across all states and Union Territories, except for West Bengal, which is yet to start uploading data, the sources told PTI, adding that it is still under consideration in the state. The U-WIN platform captures every <keyword id="19933690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccination" source="keywords">vaccination</keyword> event for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Minister of Finance <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> had announced in the interim Budget for 2024-2025 that U-WIN, along with intensified efforts under Mission Indradhanush, will be rolled out nationwide for managing <keyword id="21423640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="immunisation" source="keywords">immunisation</keyword>. "The U-WIN will ensure timely administration of vaccine doses by digitally recording every vaccination event under the Universal Immunisation Programme among all pregnant women and children aged 0-5 years," an official told PTI. "The portal will target 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants (0-1 years) annually by providing 11 vaccines against 12 vaccine preventable diseases -- diphtheria, measles, rubella, and tetanus through more than 1.2 crore vaccination sessions across the country," the official added. The platform generates a uniform QR-based, digitally verifiable e-vaccination certificate, similar to Covid vaccination certificate, which can be accessed anytime by the citizens through a single click. Vaccination records under UIP are being maintained manually as of now. So this will do away with the hassle of keeping a physical record, the officials explained. It will enable the digitisation of session planning, and updating vaccination status on a real-time basis, they added. "Also, there is no mechanism of individual tracking. There is also lack of awareness among beneficiaries about session location and date especially in urban areas and iniquity in immunisation coverage in states and UTs," another official said. "Besides, another major issue is that immunisation at private health facilities is not recorded," the official added. The U-WIN is going to be the single source of information for immunisation services which will record pregnancy details and outcome, newborn registration and immunisation at birth. It will update vaccination status, and delivery outcome, among others, on real time, the official said. As of July 9, 2024, the pilot has registered 5.33 crore beneficiaries on U-WIN. Over 83.55 lakh vaccination sessions have been digitally conducted, and 18.15 crore vaccine doses have been recorded. The platform aims to reduce zero-dose and left-out children through a name-based tracking mechanism and empower citizens with anytime, anywhere access to vaccination services, particularly benefiting migratory populations, the official said. "The U-WIN portal is likely to be launched pan <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> in August end," the official stated. Citizens can self-register for vaccinations via the U-WIN web portal or its Android mobile application, select preferred vaccination centres, and schedule appointments. Automated SMS alerts inform citizens about registration confirmations, administered doses, and upcoming dose reminders, ensuring timely and age-appropriate vaccinations. It also facilitates the creation of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs for comprehensive health record maintenance. The U-WIN also supports the frontline workers to digitally record all vaccination events for children and pregnant women for complete, accurate and easy record maintenance, the official said.

Pan-India rollout of U-WIN to track routine immunisations likely by Aug end

<ul><li>An SMS worm claiming to help users in India book a slot to get the COVID-19 vaccine is making the rounds.</li><li>The malicious app link being circulated over text messages enables authorised access to private accounts, exposes personal data and has the ability to delete data without the victims knowledge.</li><li>New variants of SMS worms are rare, but this one — and its cousins — all seem to have been created by the same developer, according to an investigation conducted by cyber risk assessment firm Cyble.</li></ul>The official CoWIN mobile app has <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">not been doing its job well</a>, which has forced users in India to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/coders-are-coming-up-with-new-ways-to-check-for-covid-19-vaccination-slots-on-cowin/articleshow/82383284.cms">look at alternatives</a> to check for available vaccination slots or even simply register for the vaccine. While there are many solutions helping genuinely, there are others who may not necessarily be looking out for the ‘greater good’ — like a new SMS worm promising to book a vaccination slot for you, but infecting your device with malware instead. So far, the penetration seems to be limited to Android users. <div type="image" title="cowin app fake_edited" msid="82389061" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Android SMS worm tries to spread via text messages as fake, free registration for Covid-19 vaccine &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The SMS worm is capable of enabling unauthorised access to private accounts, using the device for activities unaware to the user of the smartphone, exposing personal data and deleting data without the user’s knowledge. This means accessing Twitter and Facebook accounts, peeping into your photo gallery and contact list, deleting documents you may have wanted to keep around for a little bit longer and eating up your data — which can be particularly painful if you have limited data per day. The issue was initially brought to light by Malware researcher <a href="https://twitter.com/LukasStefanko/status/1387733166195150849">Lukas Stefano</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/malwrhunterteam/status/1387706612270440450">Malware Hunter Team</a>. It was then also confirmed by Australian cyber risk assessment firm <a href="https://twitter.com/AuCyble/status/1389135487340883970">Cyble</a>. “Our investigation indicated that this malware campaign is currently targeting India as the country struggles with the ongoing onslaught of the pandemic,” said Cyble in its report. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A mysterious developer is creating similar apps with the same end goal" comment="subhead" text="A mysterious developer is creating similar apps with the same end goal">A mysterious developer is creating similar apps with the same end goal</cmsannotation> Cyble tried to track down the source of the fake app and found numerous abandoned repositories on Twitter. They list other apps that are similar but with different names. The end goal is the same for all of them — get the same permissions and enter from the same point. <div type="image" title="covid app fake 3_edited" msid="82389133" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Fake COVID-19 app asking for permission to access contacts&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> According to the investigators, it is likely that the same developer is behind all of these apps. “New variants of SMS worms for Android do not appear very often, and this particular variant is an interesting piece of malware and part of a unique attack,” said Cyble in its report. In addition to tricking people into installing the SMS worm and accessing sensitive information, there is also a direct monetary cost of this whole exercise on the victim. Since the worm is automatically sending messages to people on the victim’s contact lists, it could use up their balance depending on their phone plan — without the victim’s knowledge. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How does the COVID-19 SMS malware work?" comment="subhead" text="How does the COVID-19 SMS malware work?">How does the COVID-19 SMS malware work?</cmsannotation> Users receive an SMS containing a malicious link that leads to a seemingly genuine website. Once an unsuspecting user clicks on the link, the worm’s code is now ready to execute on the device — that is, the smartphone has now been infected. <div type="image" title="covid app fake 2_edited" msid="82389102" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;SMS worm with malicious link &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Moreover, the malware sends a copy of itself to everyone on that person’s contact list. Some of the suspicious activities spotted include checking for devices that are connected to the phone through Bluetooth, sending text messages using SMS Manager, checking the status of the user’s SIM card and sending out queries around phone contact information. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/kangana-ranauts-twitter-account-has-been-suspended-for-violating-rules/articleshow/82384318.cms">Twitter cracks down on Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut — here's why it's significant in the debate over free speech on social media</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/coders-are-coming-up-with-new-ways-to-check-for-covid-19-vaccination-slots-on-cowin/articleshow/82383284.cms">Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/govt-slashing-customs-duty-and-cess-on-oxygen-concentrators-remdesivir-injections-and-covid-19-vaccines/articleshow/82372585.cms">To get more oxygen concentrators, Remdesivir injections and COVID-19 vaccines, India temporarily lifts customs duty and cess on imports</a>

A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration

With 2,57,299 fresh cases of Covid-19, India on Saturday witnessed the lowest rise in infection since April 21, even as 4,194 people died due to the pandemic in last 24 hours, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry. India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,62,89,290 with 29,23,400 active cases and 2,95,525 deaths so far. According to the Health Ministry, a total of 3,57,630 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, with 2,30,70,365 being cured from Covid till date. ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/icmr-approved-home-test-kit-coviself-priced-at-250-company-claims-you-can-test-for-covid-19-in-15-minutes/articleshow/82799813.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">ICMR-approved home test kit CoviSelf priced at ₹250, company claims you can test for COVID-19 in 15 minutes</a> The Health Ministry said that a total of 19,33,72,819 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 14,58,895 who were administered vaccines in the last 24 hours. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 32,64,84,155 samples have been tested up to May 21 for Covid-19. Of these 20,66,285 samples were tested on Friday. <div type="image" title="COVID Vaccine registration" msid="82853316" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;People waiting during COVID-19 vaccination drive at KC General Hospital, in Bengaluru on Friday 21 May 2021.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> India registered record deaths due to Covid on Wednesday with 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection in any country since the coronavirus outbreak was reported in China's Wuhan in December 2019. It surpassed 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12, and earlier 4,211 in Brazil on April 6. These three are the worst-hit by the pandemic. After battling a brutal second wave for weeks, fresh <keyword id="8869954" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-cases">Covid cases</keyword> came down below the three lakh-mark for the first time on May 17 after touching record high of 4,14,188 on May 7. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/skyroot-aerospace-raises-11-million-in-funding-with-plans-to-have-vikram-1-on-the-launch-pad-by-mid-2022/articleshow/82788901.cms">Skyroot Aerospace raises $11 million in funding with plans to have Vikram-1 on the launch pad by mid-2022</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/cryptocurrency-polygon-founded-by-3-indians-has-touched-13-billion-in-market-cap/articleshow/82770196.cms">Cryptocurrency Polygon, founded by 3 Indians, has touched $13 billion in market cap</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-green-energy-to-acquire-sb-energy-india/articleshow/82759578.cms">Adani Green Energy to acquire SB Energy India, boosting its renewable energy capacity by 4.9GW</a>

For the first time since April 16, daily COVID-19 cases in India fall below 2.6 lakh

<ul><li>The CoWIN, UMANG and Aarogya Setu mobile apps have crashed as India opens up the vaccine registrations for everyone above the age of 18.</li><li>The <keyword id="10849396" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cowin-website">CoWIN website</keyword> is still sending out OTPs.</li><li>Even if you manage to register on the CoWIN website, finding a slot may prove to be difficult.</li></ul>If you’re above the age of 18 years and trying to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India today, on April 28, you may be fresh out of luck. The CoWIN mobile app along with alternative methods to register — the UMANG and Aarogya Setu mobile apps — crashed the moment registrations opened up at 4 p.m. The CoWIN website wasn’t sending out one-time-passwords (OTPs) initially either, but was back up in action within minutes. However, that’s about all the good news that there is. In order to get your OTP, you need to go to the main CoWIN portal, click on the registration button, enter your phone number. The OTP that you get on your phone will be valid for three minutes. <div type="image" title="IMG-20210428-WA0010" msid="82291617" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;OTP generated from the CoWIN website&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess if you’ll able to get a slot or even complete your registration. Some users are reporting that they are not available to select photo ID type or gender after putting in the OTP. And, entering the information in these slots is compulsory in order to complete the process. <div type="image" title="cowin" msid="82299370" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BI India was unable to select the drop down menus for &amp;#39;Photo ID Proof&amp;#39; and &amp;#39;Gender&amp;#39;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Even then, registering yourself only gets you in through the door. Finding a slot is a whole other matter. And they seem to be in short supply. While you may see a couple of slots with appointments available, those appointments are only for those individuals between the ages of 45 and above. No appointment slots seem to be available to those between 18 to 44 years old. <div type="image" title="cowin slots" msid="82291747" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Availability of slots after registration is complete&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> People above the age of 18 looking to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in India have been trying since midnight. Even though the CoWIN channels on social media did not send out any alerts, there was one sent out over Telegram app that the vaccine registration would not be opening up at midnight, but at four in the afternoon instead. <div type="image" title="Screenshot_20210428-083126_edited" msid="82292135" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Message sent over Telegram specifying that registration will open up at 4:00 pm instead of at midnight&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> There is no clarity around the supply of vaccines and the government has been quiet on how it plans to expand its vaccination drive while also addressing the bottlenecks that may occur.

CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult

<ul><li>Instead of allowing vaccine makers to charge customers different prices for the same vaccine, the government could offer subsidy for those who need it the most via direct cash transfer.</li><li>Allowing different prices offers an incentive to move the stock of vaccines to the buyers who pay more i.e. private hospitals.</li><li>That may leave a lot of poorer Indians waiting in queues for a long time to get their share of the jabs.</li><li>Even with direct cash transfer, there may be a need to cap prices and to declare hoarding as a criminal act to ensure that the kind of leakage seen in ration shops is not replicated in vaccines as well. </li><li>There are arguments against direct benefit transfer as well. </li></ul>The new prices for COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, has triggered a debate in India. Some argue that the prices are too high for everyone to be able to afford, and some say that it should be free for all and the government should bear the cost. The government already has a lot of expenses piling up as it manages the pandemic, and hence, there are also those who see merit in arguing that those who can pay for the vaccine, must pay for it. However, there is a problem with letting private and for-profit companies charge different prices from different customers. These are the prices fixed by Serum Institute of India (SII) for the Covishield vaccine: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></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;">If the vaccine is sold to… </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;">Price per dose </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;">Central government </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;">₹150 </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;">State government </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;">₹400 </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;">Private hospitals </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;">₹600 </td></tr></tbody></table> India is a developing country with millions of poor people with poor access to, and little money to spare for, healthcare. By allowing vaccine makers to choose the pricing based on who is buying the vaccine, the government may give the producer an incentive to direct more vaccines to the more expensive private hospitals, whereas a majority of the country still depends on state-run facilities. “Pricing should be uniform. Both the central and state governments should pay the same price for the vaccine. The government should also cap the price of the vaccine sold at private hospitals. Even the administrative charges should be capped. Otherwise a family of four may end up paying a lot for vaccination,” Doctor Sanjeev Bagai, Chairman and Managing Director of the New Delhi-based Nephron clinic told Business Insider. “Direct benefit transfer is also an option. And the cost of vaccination should be covered by all insurance companies,” Bagai added. <div type="image" title="Kolkata:Beneficiaries stands in a queue outside a health centre to receive a dos..." msid="82200586" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Beneficiaries stands in a queue outside a health centre to receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, amid surge in coronavirus cases, in Kolkata.Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)(&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The case for direct reimbursement for the cost of vaccine One may argue that there are covenants in place to ensure that the company sends an agreed amount of supply to government facilities. However, decades of similar policy experiments have taught us that such agreements are inefficient and provide a fertile ground for corrupt practices. The failure of such mechanisms gave birth to the idea of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). It could be deployed here as well, given that patients coming in for vaccination are already being asked to submit their Aadhaar (unique identity number) details. Vaccine makers should charge the same price from all customers. Those who access it via government agencies, or any other filter as may be applicable, should be allowed to get the subsidy reimbursed to their bank account. This has been effectively used in transferring other subsidies like the ones for cooking gas and fertilisers. The government’s own estimate is that it has saved over ₹1.78 lakh crore ($25 billion) in subsidy leakage because of DBT. The argument against direct benefit transfer There are two arguments here against direct benefit transfer. One from R Ramakumar, Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, who wants vaccines to be free for all as it is in countries like US, UK and China. The other argument is from Dr Arvind Virmani, an economist and the former Chief Economic Advisor to the government of India, who wants drug prices to be decontrolled totally and do a direct cash transfer on a larger scale and not limit it to vaccines alone. “Supply chain has to be developed. It can’t be done overnight. The data on production and sale of vaccines is transparently available from the producers, for the government, Astrazeneca and others to see. To introduce DBT now, it would mean taking out funding from other budgeted activities like infrastructure construction. Right now, vaccination is working smoothly. Don’t disrupt it,” he told Business Insider. Aside from the fact this may add a bureaucratic layer, Ramakumar’s contention is that by allowing state-run facilities to charge less, and private hospitals to charge more, there is an incentive of corruption in distribution. India already has decades of bad experience. from the public distribution system a.k.a the ration shops, where the subsidised stock is moved out to be sold at a higher price. A cap on prices, and a crackdown on hoarders by making it a criminal act, may be necessary to counter this, even with reimbursement of the vaccine cost via direct transfer to bank accounts. Virmani’s take is that there is a case to be made for both deregulating drug prices, as well as direct cash transfer for a variety of reasons, in India but that can’t be debated in the middle of a pandemic. “All drugs are controlled. We should be discussing decontrol of drugs. That’s not the problem right now. For the last 12 months, I have been saying you can create a direct cash transfer in 4 months. It should still be considered,” he added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/while-covid-19-is-making-millions-gasp-for-breath-in-india-state-administrations-are-trying-to-hoard-oxygen/articleshow/82199390.cms">While COVID-19 is making millions gasp for breath in India, state administrations are trying to hoard oxygen</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/covid-19-lockdowns-and-curfews-affecting-worlds-fourth-largest-automobile-market/articleshow/82195326.cms">There is a virtual lockdown in the world’s fourth largest automobile market</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/revolut-appoints-former-flipkart-exec-paroma-chatterjee-as-its-india-ceo/articleshow/82181199.cms">Revolut starts India operations, appoints former Lendingkart, Flipkart executive Paroma Chatterjee as CEO</a>

If the COVID-19 vaccine prices are too high for some, then why not use direct benefit transfer

New Delhi, With <keyword id="9078985" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid-19-Vaccines">Covid-19 vaccines</keyword> soon to be available globally, Microsoft has launched a vaccine management platform for both government and <keyword id="10282560" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare-customers">healthcare customers</keyword>. A handful of Microsoft partners, including Accenture, Avanade, EY, and Mazik Global, are working on vaccine-management offerings that use Microsoft cloud services. "To achieve the goal of an efficient, equitable, and safe delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine, close collaboration across agencies and partners will be the key to success," Microsoft said in a statement late on Friday. "It is imperative that implementations be delivered on time and customized to meet the needs of every government and healthcare customer". Microsoft partners are actively working with customers to deploy vaccine management solutions that enable <keyword id="10419938" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="registration-capabilities">registration capabilities</keyword> for patients and providers, phased schedule for vaccinations, streamlined reporting, and management dashboarding with analytics and forecasting. "At Microsoft, we have been working with public- and private-sector organizations around the world to help support this monumental task of delivering vaccines as quickly as possible, but also in a secure and equitable manner," said David Shaw, Chief Medical Officer, and VP Healthcare, Worldwide Commercial Business, Microsoft. <keyword id="1000608" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft-Consulting-Services">Microsoft Consulting Services</keyword> (MCS) has deployed over 230 emergency Covid-19 response missions globally since the pandemic began in March, including recent engagements to ensure the equitable, secure, and efficient distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine. MCS has developed an offering, the Vaccination Registration and Administration Solution (VRAS), which advances the capabilities of their Covid-19 solution portfolio and enables compliant administration of the resident assessment, registration, and phased scheduling for vaccine distribution. It enables the tracking and reporting of immunization progress through secure data exchange that utilizes industry standards, such as Health Level Seven (HL7), <keyword id="4465319" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fast-Healthcare-Interoperability-Resources">Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources</keyword> (FHIR), and open APIs. "Health providers and pharmacies can monitor and report on the effectiveness of specific vaccine batches, and health administrators can easily summarise the achievement of vaccine deployment goals in large population groups," the company said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-irctc-hdfc-bank-tcs-tvs-motor-dalmia-bharat-ultratech-acc-ambuja-and-others/articleshow/79672813.cms">Top stocks to watch — IRCTC, HDFC Bank, TCS, TVS Motor, Dalmia Bharat, UltraTech, ACC, Ambuja, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/best-smartphones-of-2020-in-india/slidelist/79675101.cms">Best smartphones of 2020 in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/reports-suggest-that-tata-adani-and-hinduja-group-are-interested-in-air-india-divestment-plan/articleshow/79675955.cms">Last date for Air India divestment plan nears — reports suggest that Tata, Adani and Hinduja Group are interested</a>

Microsoft launches COVID-19 vaccine management platform for government and healthcare customers

<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>

You Searched For "india vaccine registration" and got 7 results

Pan-India rollout of U-WIN to track routine immunisations likely by Aug end

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A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration

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For the first time since April 16, daily COVID-19 cases in India fall below 2.6 lakh

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CoWIN website is back up after an early crash⁠ — finding a vaccination slot may still be difficult

Prabhjote Gill

If the COVID-19 vaccine prices are too high for some, then why not use direct benefit transfer

Sriram Iyer

Microsoft launches COVID-19 vaccine management platform for government and healthcare customers

IANS

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

Prabhjote Gill

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