Get an alert when a HSE PCR test appointment opens up using Telegram

It can be hard to get a HSE PCR test appointment at the moment. With case numbers at their highest ever, the Irish health service’s testing infrastructure has been getting bombarded at midnight every night. However, test appointments are also added throughout the day, and if you get lucky, you can sometimes manage to grab one. You need to check manually though, which means you’re reliant on being lucky. If you have Telegram though, you can now get test appointment alerts on your smartphone for whenever a testing slot opens up.

Shared by /u/williamhere on the Ireland subreddit, you’ll need to install the Telegram Messaging app and join the channel for your county. Telegram is a messaging app similar to WhatsApp, though with more features. Telegram also allows users to set up their own bots, which /u/williamhere did to create the appointment alert bot. The HSE PCR test appointment alert bot is completely open-source, and you can check out its source code on GitHub to see how it works or even run it yourself. On your smartphone, it will look like you’re joining a group chat where messages stating there’s an open appointment are broadcast to all other members of the chat.

Obviously, it’s not perfect, and as these Telegram channels fill up with other users, you’ll still be competing with a lot of other people for HSE PCR test slots. Aside from that, though, this can save you a lot of time when trying to book a test and can mean that you no longer need to constantly refresh the website throughout the day in an effort to get a test. Let us know in the comments if it works for you, and you can check out all of the Telegram channel links below.