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The tech giant, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, said Monday it will use its platforms to help users learn more about Covid-19 vaccines, including where and when they can get vaccinated .
“Now that many countries are moving towards immunization for all adults, we are working on tools to enable everyone to get immunized equally,” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in prepared remarks published. on the social media platform Monday.
“First, we’re launching a tool that shows you when and where you can get vaccinated, and gives you a link to make an appointment,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post. “It will be in the Covid Info Center, which we will show people directly in their News Feed.”
The Covid information center will also be on Instagram, where Zuckerberg said the company will “show it to people there as well.”
The company, Zuckerberg added, “is also working with health authorities and governments to expand their WhatsApp chatbots to help people sign up for vaccines.”
How to find Covid-19 vaccines via Facebook
To help people find vaccines, Facebook has partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital to launch its locator tool in the United States. The tool allows Facebook users to know where to access Covid-19 vaccines in their neighborhood, opening hours of vaccination sites, contact details and links to make an appointment.
“You should be able to search your Facebook app – if you type in something like ‘Covid-19’ or ‘Covid-19 vaccine’. This will bring up the Covid-19 information center on Facebook, and as part of this, there will be a new tool where you can search for vaccination sites near you, ”Kang-Xing Jin, official told CNN on Sunday. health of Facebook.
“Our partners in the United States have seen a 19% increase in the number of new blood donors across the country,” he said. “So our hope is really to help here with the vaccine rollout.”
“It’s initially on Facebook, but we hope to release it on Instagram soon,” Jin said.
Covid-19 information center launched on Instagram
For now, the Covid-19 clearinghouse itself has been brought to Instagram, “which will include a lot of information on common vaccine issues,” Jin said. “And this is also available live from today.”
When users click on the Covid-19 Information Center portal, they see Covid-19 information from their local ministers of health and the World Health Organization.
In the coming weeks, social media posts regarding Covid-19 vaccines will automatically receive labels indicating the Covid-19 information center.
“This is going to apply to all articles that generally relate to Covid-19 vaccines,” Jin said. “The label will essentially offer a link to the Covid-19 information center where people can then go to get answers to common questions.”
Facebook also announced on Monday that Instagram has posted new Covid-19 vaccine “stickers” that users can use in their Instagram Stories. For example, once the sticker says “LET’S VACCINATE” and has a heart symbol.
Health authorities turn to WhatsApp
Meanwhile, new developments are also happening on Facebook’s other platform, WhatsApp. Facebook offered the messaging app to allow health authorities and governments to share information about the Covid-19 vaccine with users.
For example, the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina announced last week that WhatsApp would be the official channel through which citizens will be notified when it is their turn to receive the vaccine, according to Facebook.
“WhatsApp is a free service that is actually often cheaper than texting or texting – so it can in some ways reduce barriers,” Jin said.
“Ultimately, governments use all channels of communication to reach people where they are – online and offline – with relevant information. And we’re doing our best to support those efforts and choices.”
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