How these Indian startups are helping people find vaccine slots and plasma donors

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While India has been muddling under a devastating second wave of Covid-19, many start-ups have come forward to help people finding vaccine slots and plasma donors. These companies are preparing their own AI bots that directly tells the user about the availability of vaccine slots and other requirements in reference to the SOS messages that can be seen on social media platforms.

How does it work? As India staggers under this huge crisis, companies have introduced various tools which connect people from different parts of the country. Any individual can upload verified leads on such platforms. Indian start-ups are also using AI bots to notify the users of the availability of vaccine slots. These companies integrated their conversational AI technology with available Open APIs, to trigger notifications through Whatsapp/mail.

WIMWIsure launches AI-enabled bot to help with vaccination slots and plasma donors Making it easier for citizens to get notification on the availability of vaccination slot and plasma donors, Insurtech WIMWIsure has launched a messaging bot on the popular messaging platform WhatsApp.

Citizens can simply drop a text on the number along with their pin code and age and be notified as soon as a slot is available at a nearby centre following which the user can book the slot on the CoWin website. The facility is also available for registration and instant notification on the availability of plasma donors in the respective pin code area.

WIMWIsure founder and CEO Ravinder Kumar said, “The second wave of the pandemic has majorly impacted our country and overwhelmed our healthcare system. Finding vaccination slots or plasma donors is extremely crucial in the fight against Covid19 and increasingly difficult as well. This user-friendly service will simplify searching for availability for vaccines, as well as locate plasma donors at the click of a finger. We appeal to people, who have recovered from Covid-19 to come forward, and register through a simple WhatsApp message and help save lives.” 

The AI-enabled chatbot is making the process fast and efficient by taking away the need to keep an incessant watch on the official website or mobile application. This is particularly challenging for less tech-savvy, elderly, and the poor, who are often not comfortable operating the portal or application but are fluent with WhatsApp as a messaging platform. Currently, users from more than 800 PIN codes are using the platform with over 1 Lakh interactions, as per the notice issued by the company.

InsuranceDekho Launches Covid-19 Vaccination Slot Finder Amidst the ongoing global healthcare crisis, there is a huge mismatch between supply and demand for the Covid-19 vaccine and its available slots.  The ‘Covid-19 Vaccination Slot Finder’ facility will assist all in locating vaccination centres nearby and directly visiting the Co-WIN App and book the slot, if available. In case of non-availability of a vaccination slot, the said facility will enable the user to receive a prompt notification regarding the slot availability.

Commenting on this, Mr Ankit Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of InsuranceDekho, said: “With the Covid-19 Vaccination Slot Finder, we hope to reduce the hassle and ordeal of refreshing the present platform for new slots repeatedly. The Slot Finder shall help users get notified about the next availability of the vaccine if no slot is available.”

To check slot availability, one has to simply visit www.InsuranceDekho.com and click on the ‘Covid-19 Vaccination Slot Finder’ option on the top right corner of the page. The user will then have to click on the ‘Search by Pincode’ or ‘Search by District’ option to find his/ her nearby vaccination centres; select the age group and click on ‘Find Vaccine Centres’. The available vaccination slots at nearby centres will be displayed to the user with the required information. In case a slot is not available, the user can request for notification whenever slots are available next.

Other start-ups lending help

Finding a plasma donor is time taking and sometimes the patient doesn’t have much time. E-commerce firm Snapdeal has also come up with an initiative called “Sanjeevani” to find potential plasma donors.

“Snapdeal team is stepping forward to connect prospective donors to patients and contribute to the country’s fight against Covid-19,” read the company’s statement.

Users can access this feature through the company’s website or app.

Leading Bus ticket booking company, Redbus has also come up with a special feature called “Vax Alert” that gives real-time alerts via email whenever a vaccine is available near your preferred pincode.

“With Covid unleashing its second wave on India, it has become more important than ever, to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination is the most effective way to shield yourself from the Covid virus. To help you get vaccinated, we have developed a tool “Vax Alert.” This tool will empower you to stay in the know and plan your visit to the nearest vaccination center as soon as it is possible,” the company’s email stated.

Apart from this, other start-ups like Ola and Paytm have also come up with similar initiatives for lending a helping hand when the country is reeling under unprecedented crisis.