Facebook Inc. today announced new tools that will make it simpler to get information out about COVID-19 vaccines and get people vaccinated as well as plans to continue combat misinformation about vaccines and the pandemic.

“Today we’re launching a global campaign to help bring 50 million people a step closer to getting COVID-19 vaccines,” said Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.

The new tools include information about where and when to get COVID-19 vaccines, expanding the COVID Information Center to Instagram and working with health authorities to expand WhatsApp chatbots to help people register for vaccines.

To help people find vaccination sites, Facebook will provide maps of locations provided by VaccineFinder that will include hours of operation, contact info and links to make an appointment. To get this information, Facebook partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital in the U.S. to help people identify places near to them to get the vaccine.

This tool can be accessed in the COVID-19 Information Center and will be supported in 71 different languages.

Starting today, Facebook is also bringing the COVID-19 Information Center to Instagram all around the world. This portal, which launched on the Facebook app last March, connects the World Health Organization and other local health organizations around the world to provide up-to-date information about coronavirus.

The company is releasing new Instagram Stories stickers as well, so people can inspire others to get vaccinated when it becomes available to them. Next, Facebook is partnering with health authorities and governments on vaccine registration via official WhatsApp chatbots.

“More than 3 billion messages related to COVID have already been sent by governments, non-profits and international organizations to citizens through official WhatsApp chatbots, so this update will help with the vaccination effort as well,” Zuckerberg said.

Last week, the city and province of Buenos Aires, Argentina announced that WhatsApp will be its official channel to send notifications to citizens when it’s their turn to receive the vaccine. In Brazil, a WhatsApp helpline is being used for information and support for residents in Serrana, where a mass vaccination project is being tested by authorities.

Other governments and health authorities, including South Africa and the WHO, are starting to incorporate vaccine information into their chatbot helplines as well.

Facebook also envisions using its machine learning capability and news feeds to amplify correct and accurate information on the COVID-19 pandemic from credible and reliable health resources.

The company intends to use its partnerships to surface reliable information through free ads and public service announcements targeting underserved communities from expert local and international nongovernmental organizations, such as International Medical Corps., that are providing tailored COVID-19 information in local languages.

In February, in consultation with leading health organizations, the company also expanded its list of false claims that it will remove during the pandemic, which now include additional debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines. Since launching the new policy applying to both old and new content, the company says it has removed an additional 2 million pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram.

“The data shows the vaccines are safe and they work,” said Zuckerberg. “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.”

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