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Surokkha app may take another week to arrive on Google Play

Published at 08:20 pm February 7th, 2021

File photo of a health worker administering a jab during the ongoing nationwide Covid-19 vaccine campaign Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

The Android app was scheduled for launch by February 4

The Surokkha app may take another week to be launched on the Google Play Store as Google is yet to give their feedback on the app, health officials have said.

The app, developed to help people register for the Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh, was scheduled for launch on the Google Play Store by February 4, according to announcements by the ICT Division.

“Due to some technical reasons, the launch of the app on Google Play Store has been delayed,” said Prof Mizanur Rahman, director (MIS) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

However, he was confident that the Android version of the app would be available by next week. The official vaccine registration website (www.surokkha.gov.bd) remains available to the public for registration.

Prof Mizanur Rahman said: “We have launched a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program from Sunday. Despite the delays in the Android version of the app, people are registering through the website.”

Sources from the ICT division said they sent the necessary documents to Google for app registration on January 27, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the vaccination campaign in the country.

Feedback from Google usually arrives within a week, but they are yet to receive anything, the sources added. As a result of the delay in communication, the ICT division remains unsure about when they will receive approval from Google.

Most people to have registered for the vaccine have done so through the registration website. About 80% of the registrations have been completed using mobile devices.

NM Zeaul Alam, senior secretary of the ICT Division, was unavailable for a comment on the matter.

The Surokkha app will be available for download on the Google Play Store for free. The app is also compatible with iOS devices, but the authorities are awaiting feedback from Google before submitting it to the Apple app store.

Meanwhile, people who have misplaced their vaccine registration card can download it from the registration website.