Facebook teams up with state health departments to share more vaccine information – CNET [CNET]

Facebook is working with state health departments to connect people with vaccination and eligibility information. In a blog post Monday, the social media site said that between January and March, over 3 million people in the US clicked through COVID-19related promotions and the information center, which redirects them to state health websites and local providers.

Once a state opens COVID-19 vaccines to the general public, Facebook says it will show a notification for state residents that connects them with their state health department or Facebook’s Vaccine Finder. So far, these notifications are showing up in Alaska, Mississippi, Texas and Utah. 

“Our strategy to work closely with state governments is critical in order to ensure that our features are directing people to local resources as they are available and not drive demand too soon that would overwhelm systems,” Facebook said in the post. 

The social media site previously used this notification tool during the US 2020 presidential election to help people find accurate voter information.