The technology giant, owner of Instagram and WhatsApp, announced on Monday that it will use its platforms to help users learn more about Covid-19 vaccines, including where and when they can be vaccinated.
“Now that many countries are adopting vaccination for all adults, we are working on tools to make it easier for everyone to be vaccinated too,” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in prepared comments posted on the social media platform on Monday- market.
“First, we are launching a tool that shows you when and where you can be vaccinated and provides a link to make an appointment,” wrote Zuckerberg in the post. “This will be in the Covid Information Center, which we will show people directly in your News Feed.”
Covid’s Information Center will also be on Instagram, where Zuckerberg said the company will “show it to prominent people there as well.”
The company, added Zuckerberg, is also “working with health officials and governments to expand its WhatsApp chatbots to help people register for vaccines”.
How to find Covid-19 vaccines through Facebook
To help people find vaccines, Facebook partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital to launch its location tool in the United States. The tool connects Facebook users with where to access Covid-19 vaccines in their neighborhood, opening hours of vaccination locations, contact information and links to make an appointment.
“You should be able to search your Facebook application – if you type something like ‘Covid-19’ or ‘Covid-19 vaccine’. This will open the Covid-19 Information Center on Facebook, and within it there will be a new tool where you can search to find vaccination locations near you, “Kang-Xing Jin, Facebook’s chief of health, told CNN on Sunday.
“Our partners in the United States saw a 19% increase in blood donors for the first time across the country,” he said. “So our hope is to really help here with the vaccine launch.”
“It is initially on Facebook, but we hope to bring it to Instagram soon,” said Jin.
Covid-19 Information Center launches on Instagram
For now, the Covid-19 Information Center itself has been brought to Instagram, “which will include a lot of information about common questions about the vaccine,” said Jin. “And that is available live starting today as well.”
When users click on the Covid-19 Information Center portal, they see Covid-19 information from their local health ministers and the World Health Organization.
In the coming weeks, social media posts in general about Covid-19 vaccines will automatically receive labels pointing people to the Covid-19 Information Center.
“This will be applied to all posts that usually treat Covid-19 vaccines,” said Jin. “The label will basically provide a link to the Covid-19 Information Center, where people can get answers to common questions.”
Facebook also announced on Monday that Instagram has released new “stickers” on the Covid-19 vaccine that users can use in their Instagram stories. For example, since the sticker says “LET’S VACCINE” and has a heart symbol.
Health officials turn to WhatsApp
Meanwhile, there are also new developments taking place on the other Facebook platform, WhatsApp. Facebook offered the messaging app as a way for health officials and governments to share information about the Covid-19 vaccine with users.
For example, the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, announced last week that WhatsApp will 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, in fact, tends to be cheaper than SMS or text messages – so, in a way, it can reduce barriers,” said Jin.
“At the end of the day, governments are using all communication channels to reach people where they are – online and offline – with relevant information. And we are doing our best to support these efforts and choices.”