Facebook announced that it will help with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The social media company will launch a nation-wide vaccine tracker as part of a partnership with Boston Children's Hospital that will allow people to find a book an appointment near them.
"Today, we're launching a global campaign to help bring 50 million people a step closer to getting Covid-19 vaccines," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post on his personal page.
Facebook said that the new tool will be available in the COVID Information Center, which appears in users' news feeds. The vaccine finder is currently available in the United States, but the company is planning to expand it to other countries as well.
"By working closely with national and global health authorities and using our scale to reach people quickly, we're doing our part to help people get credible information, get vaccinated and come back together safely," Facebook wrote in a blog post.
Facebook will also be adding labels to Facebook and Instagram posts about the coronavirus vaccines. The labels will direct users to credible information about the vaccines from groups such as the World Health Organization.
The social media company said it will be rolling out the COVID Information Center to Instagram users and expanding the functionality of WhatsApp chatbots to help people find vaccine appointments near them.
"The data shows the vaccines are safe and they work. They're our best hope for getting past this virus and getting back to normal life. I'm looking forward to getting mine, and I hope you are too," Zuckerberg said.
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