YouTube announced on Tuesday to add a link providing information on COVID-19 vaccines on its site. The company intends to expand its efforts to combat misinformation related to the pandemic.
The link will send YouTube users directly to competent vaccine information from a third-party source like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization (WHO), YouTube said in a statement.
Conspiracy theories and misinformation about the new coronavirus vaccines have recently gained traction on social media. This includes anti-vaccine personalities on YouTube and viral videos shared across multiple platforms.
Last week, a study conducted in the United States and Britain located conspiracy theories and misinformation. Such instances of misinformation make people less likely to use COVID-19 vaccines when they become available in the near future.
In October, the video platform stated that it would remove videos containing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. They intend to ban any content with claims that contradict consensus from prominent health authorities.
YouTube’s move on Tuesday follows promising results from two major vaccine efforts. Moderna said on Monday that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective. The organization based its claims on interim data from late-stage trials. Last week, Pfizer said its vaccine showed a 90 percent effectivity statistic.
Watch this space for more updates.
