Co-WIN's second phase of registration for vaccination faces OTP glitches

As reported by many on Twitter, the OTP required to log in to Co-WIN (covid vaccine intelligence network) never turned up or was received after multiple attempts. Registration for the second phase of vaccination drive did not started smooth as many users were unable to log into Co-WIN and portal due to one-time password (OTP) related glitches.

The second phase of the covid-19 vaccination drive will cover senior citizens above 60 years and people above 45 years with co-mborbidities. Eligible citizens can register for the vaccine and schedule their vaccination slots at the nearest vaccination centres through the Co-WIN 2.0 platform or

Aarogya Setu contact tracing app.

Co-WIN platform was created to track delivery, utilization and distribution of covid-19 vaccine in real time at national, state and district level.

The first phase of registration drive, which started in January and covered front line workers, including medical professionals, was also marred by technical glitches in Co-WIN platform, resulting in lower registration and vaccination turnouts in several states.

Government has made several efforts to improve Co-WIN. In December 2020, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) had announced a grand challenge inviting innovators and startups to build and integrate their solutions via API to strengthen the platform. Cash prize of ₹40 lakh and ₹20 lakh was set aside for top two contestants.

Technical glitches are not the only issues dogging the platform. Weeks before the official Co-WIN app was launched, several fake apps with similar names had started circulating on Google Play Store. MoHFW had to issue advisory cautioning citizens about fake Co-WIN apps created by unscrupulous elements.