After controversy, Twitter removed ‘V’ symbol from COVID-19 vaccine campaign

An international Twitter campaign that seeks “Disseminate updated information from reliable sources” controversy was involved in the coronavirus vaccine in Argentina, when hundreds of users, including political leaders, they thought it was a political initiative promoted by the government of Alberto Fernandez.

In the campaign communication pieces, the social network used the symbol of the “V”, which all over the world refers to peace; but that, in this circumstance, look for a play on words with the word “Vaccination”. This is an image that the platform has used for some time to accompany the hashtag #Vaccinated and which is part of a global initiative as part of Immunization Week. In the country, however, the symbol is strongly associated with peronism, which created confusion.

// The first coronavirus pill could be ready this year

“To the producers of” we must not politicize the pandemic “and” we do not ask what ideology has the vaccine “, it happens …”, tweeted the meteorologist Mauricio Saldivar, which accompanied its post with a screenshot of the campaign. Immediately, former finance minister Alfonso Prat-Gay and former head of the anti-corruption bureau Laura Alonso joined; Even if later they deleted the messages. But they were not the only ones, several users also joined the movement.

After the confusion, and without giving any further explanation, Twitter decided on Monday to remove the “V” symbol from ads focused on Argentina; however, it remains in other regions.

// What are the main comorbidities that can worsen the coronavirus

What is the “V” campaign for

The platform introduced vaccination notices into the timeline so that users can access, in real time, the up-to-date information from reliable sources. This new feature responds to the progress of the various vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 both in Argentina and Latin America, and around the world.

The opinions they are available in seven languages, in 16 countries. The top part of each “timeline” includes, from this Monday, a link to which you can access a specialized section, where all of this can be found. By clicking, it directs people to “Moments”, a section of the social network, where posts from specialists on different topics are collected: vaccine safety, what vaccines are available and distribution plans, among others.

“For more than a year, people around the world have taken to Twitter for the latest information on the coronavirus. As vaccination progresses around the world, people are looking for up-to-date and localized information on vaccine eligibility criteria in their region, updates to vaccination sites and the latest additional information from their experts. in public health. That’s why we extend our efforts to show this data at the start of the timeline, ”the platform said in a statement.