A new Application Program Interface (API) called 'KYC-VS' or 'Know Your Customer/Clients' Vaccination Status' has been launched for the CoWIN platform on September 10, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced. The API enables individuals to share their vaccination status with their employer or any other authority. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) allow a platform or service to connect to other platforms and services. APIs are an integral part of programming. So far, APIs have been used by third-party services to set alerts for available vaccine slots, book vaccination slots, etc. The latest API for the CoWIN platform goes beyond its original function of managing the vaccination drive. How will it work? According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the vaccination status will be made available by the following method: Step 1: An individual will enter their mobile number and name. Step 2: They will get an OTP which they have to enter. Step 3: In return, CoWIN will send a response to the verifying entity on the individual’s status of vaccination, which will be as follows: 0 - Person is not vaccinated 1 - Person is partially vaccinated 2 - Person is fully vaccinated Apart from an API, the MoHFW said that it has also launched a webpage to get vaccination statuses. The API response will also be issued with a digital signature, as vaccination certificates have them, to ensure authenticity. APIs and CoWIN: A timeline April: The CoWIN platform which was first launched in December 2020, opened up…
