Automate Your COVID-19 Vaccine Slot Alerts with Cowin Slot Alert

📌 Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a surge in demand for vaccinations, making the availability of slots a critical concern. Cowin Slot Alert is a Python project that automates the process of searching for open vaccination slots and notifies users through a Telegram group. This post covers how the project works, the technology behind it, and how you can use or extend it for your own needs.

❓ What Problem Does It Solve?

Booking a vaccination slot on India’s CoWIN platform was often a race—slots could vanish within seconds. Constantly refreshing the site was inefficient and stressful. Cowin Slot Alert solves this by:

• Monitoring the CoWIN API for slot availability in specific areas
• Automatically alerting a Telegram group when slots are open
• Helping users secure bookings faster and with less effort

⚙️ How Does Cowin Slot Alert Work?

🔄 Core Workflow

• Check CoWIN API: Regularly fetches data using the public CoWIN API.
• Parse Slot Availability: Filters based on age group and dose availability.
• Send Telegram Alerts: Uses Telegram Bot API to notify users.
• Repeat: Runs in a continuous loop at set intervals.

🔧 Key Components

• API Integration: Requests data using the calendarByPin endpoint with pincode and date.
• Filtering Logic: Only alerts when minimum age, dose, and capacity conditions are met.
• Telegram Messaging: Formats and sends data using Telegram bot token and group ID.

🧰 Tech Stack

• Python 3.9.5
• requests – API calls
• datetime – date handling
• Heroku Compatible – Includes Procfile and runtime.txt

📬 Example Message Sent to Telegram

Name: [Center Name]
Address: [Center Address]
Pin: [Pin Code]
Minimum Age: [18 or 45]
Vaccine: [Covishield, Covaxin, etc.]
Slots: [List of available slots]
Total [N] slots are available on [Date]
Dose 1 Available: [Number]
Dose 2 Available: [Number]
COWIN: https://selfregistration.cowin.gov.in/

🚀 How To Deploy and Run

1. Clone the Repository

2. Install Requirements

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure Settings

   • Edit group_id and api_url_telegram
   • Set pincode_near to your desired locations

4. Run the Script

   python final.py

   Or deploy to Heroku with the provided setup.

👥 Who Can Use This?

• Individuals hunting for vaccination slots
• Community leaders or Telegram group admins
• Developers interested in API automation projects

⚠️ Potential Improvements

• Configurable polling intervals
• Support for district-based searches
• Web dashboard for easier setup
• Improved rate-limiting and error handling

✅ Conclusion

Cowin Slot Alert is a practical tool that helped many during a critical moment in the pandemic. It’s a great example of how simple automation can have a real-world impact.

Feel free to explore, contribute, or extend this project to suit your needs.

💻 Open Source Code Available