Facebook is trying to help Americans locate places where they can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s rolling out a tool that will provide users with nearby locations’ contact information, hours of operation, as well as a link to make an appointment.
Facebook Rolls Out COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
As more Americans are becoming eligible to get the COVID-19 jab, Facebook wrote in an About Facebook blog post that it will now be “helping people learn more about COVID-19 vaccines and find out when and where they can get one.”
The platform is partnering with the Boston Children’s Hospital to launch a tool that will help users find the nearest locations offering the COVID-19 vaccine. You’ll be able to find the tool in Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Center, and it will include all you need to know about when and how you can make an appointment to get vaccinated.
The vaccine-finding tool will be available in 71 different languages. And while it’s currently being rolled out in the US, Facebook plans on bringing it to other countries in the near future.
“We’ve already seen people use Facebook to find vaccination appointments, so this should enable millions more people to do the same,” Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, noted in a post on Facebook.
In addition, Facebook is ramping up its efforts to fight misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines. It plans on adding labels to any vaccine-related post, which will redirect users to credible information from the World Health Organization.
The rest of the Facebook family—Instagram and WhatsApp—will also be getting additional resources to help Americans get vaccinated.
Instagram’s COVID-19 Information Center is getting rolled out around the world, and the app will now display a prominent notification that encourages users to visit Instagram’s Information Center.
There will also be new stickers for Instagram Stories that let users show that they’ve been vaccinated, as well as express support for the vaccine.
Lastly, Facebook announced that WhatsApp’s chatbot service will be “working directly with health authorities and governments to get people registered for vaccinations.” Buenos Aires, Argentina already plans on using WhatsApp as a way to alert citizens when they’ve become eligible to receive the vaccine.
How Big Will Facebook’s Impact Be on Vaccinations?
With millions of people using Facebook across the globe, it’s undoubtedly a huge influence. Whether its influence is good or bad, is up to you.
It seems like Facebook is trying to fulfill its “civic duty” by encouraging Americans to receive the vaccine—but will skeptical users listen to Facebook?
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