Facebook said Monday it created a tool to help its users find COVID-19 vaccination sites and schedule appointments.
The tech giant said it partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital to provide the tool to U.S. users and has plans to expand it to other countries in the future. The new vaccination tool will ultimately be supported in 71 different languages, Facebook said on its blog.
“[W]e’re launching a tool that shows you when and where you can get vaccinated, and gives you a link to make an appointment,” wrote Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO. “This will be in the Covid Information Center, which we’ll show people right in their News Feed. We’ve already seen people use Facebook to find vaccination appointments, so this should enable millions more people to do the same.”
The company also said it is also using its other platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram to spread news and information about coronavirus and get people registered for vaccinations.
Governments, nonprofits, and other organizations have sent 3 billion WhatsApp messages using “official WhatsApp chatbots,” according to Facebook, which said it is working with governments to use that platform to help register people for vaccines. Facebook said WhatsApp will be used to notify citizens in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when it is their turn to take the vaccine.
Facebook also expanded its COVID-19 Information Center to Instagram, which the company said will help users determine their eligibility for the vaccine.
The social media company’s announcement about its efforts to spread information about coronavirus vaccination efforts comes amid clamor from critics such as Media Matters for America that Facebook has exacerbated alleged misinformation related to the coronavirus.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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