To encourage taking the COVID-19 vaccine and promote
vaccination around the globe, Facebook has launched a bunch of tools, including
one that shows users in the US where they can get vaccinated. Users will also
be provided with links, so they can make an appointment at their local provider
in a fast and easy manner. Providers will be highlighted on a map and relevant
information will be shown to book an appointment.
To ensure more awareness among people about vaccines,
Facebook is also expanding its COVID-19 info center to Instagram. The info
center will be displayed at the top of the Instagram feed. Moreover, Instagram
is getting new stickers for Stories that will help raise awareness about
vaccines, such as the “Let’s get vaccinated” sticker.
Since WhatsApp is the most commonly used messaging app all
over the world, Facebook is making sure to use it as a medium for people to register
themselves for vaccines. For that, the company is collaborating with health authorities
and governments. "To date, 3 billion messages have been sent by
governments, nonprofits and international organizations to citizens through
official WhatsApp chatbots on COVID-19. We’re now working directly with health
authorities and governments to get people registered for vaccinations,"
said Facebook.
To reduce the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines,
Facebook is introducing new labels on posts about the vaccines that will guide
users to authentic information from the WHO. The company has also removed 2
million pieces of content containing false claims from its platform as well as
Instagram.
Lastly, Facebook is sharing updated data and insights related
to vaccine attitudes via Facebook Data for Good’s COVID-19 map and dashboard,
which will help health authorities improve their messaging, to optimize take-up
and address community concerns.
