COVID-19: Kolkata’s virtual helpline assists residents to book vaccine slot

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) crossed the milestone of over 75,000 vaccination registration through the innovative use of a WhatsApp chatbot. The WhatsApp chatbot, launched on May 15, is a free service for the citizens of Kolkata to increase vaccination registration. It has also made a significant impact in streamlining the process of booking slots.

To date, the chatbot has been accessed by 2,65,508 users and has helped over 75,000+ residents with the booking of their vaccination slots. It initially started with providing vaccine slots at 3 centres but has now branched out to 100+ centres in the city.

The WhatsApp chatbot allowed the citizens to book a vaccine slot by sending a ‘Hi’ to the number (+91 8335999000) on WhatsApp followed by their identification details. After verification, the chatbot asks the citizen to select a vaccination centre and sends them the specific time slot when they need to visit the centre. The chatbot also helped in making the drive-in vaccination facility a success. 

Binod Kumar, Municipal Commissioner, KMC, said that the response of people in using technology for communication has been very positive and encouraging. Kumar said that the chatbot helped in rolling out vaccines without crowding at the centres. As the state will be scaling up the vaccine drive, the WhatsApp chatbot will help the authorities in streamlining the process.