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No Covid-19 vaccine appointment via Telegram, Centre busts fake news
The false claim asserted that vaccine appointments can now be booked via the Telegram app and mentioned a number that can be used for booking the slot.
The government on Wednesday notified about a false Telegram account that claims to help with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine appointment booking. Fact-checking the claim in an image, the government said that the image is morphed and the Telegram account, mentioned in the image, is not associated with @mygovindia, as it had stated to be for the appointment.
Citizens should register for vaccine appointments on cowin.gov.in, UMANG or Aarogya Setu, the government added in the tweet that fact-checked the false information.
Many such accounts make false claims that they help with vaccine booking, as people are struggling to get an appointment due to the vaccine shortage or some technical glitches in the official app.
The false claim asserted that vaccine appointments can now be booked via the Telegram app and mentioned a number that can be used for booking the slot as on a click the individuals can interact with 'MyGov Corona Vaccine Appt'. The link that was mentioned to help with the appointment is: bit.ly/Mygov-Corona-Telegram. It is fake, the government clarified.
Also read: Nitin Gadkari says he was 'unaware', a day after his vaccine ramp-up suggestions
The world's largest vaccination drive began on January 16 and is currently in its third phase, opened to everyone above the age of 18 years. The vaccination process in the country is digitally managed as people need to book an appointment via Co-Win or Aarogya Setu app developed by the government for monitoring the vaccination system.
More than 18.5 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the country, according to the Union health ministry data.
India on Wednesday reported 267,334 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, while 4,542 people succumbed to the disease, as per the data. India recorded the highest single-day mortalities worldwide with more than 4,500 deaths in the last 24 hours.
