By Carmen Sesin - NBC News
Latinos continue to be
bombarded with misinformation in Spanish about the COVID-19 vaccine
on their social media and messaging platforms, so the federal government is looking to fight back by partnering with WhatsApp and providing correct information to Spanish speakers in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this Monday
a WhatsApp chat in Spanish
on the COVID-19 vaccine to help inoculate more Latinos.
You can access this by clicking here.
The Department of Health is collaborating with Facebook, the company that owns WhatsApp, as part of the National Month of Action, a government initiative so that 70% of adults in the United States receive at least one dose of the vaccine against COVID- 19 before July 4.
[Follow our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic]
The chat is called "My Chat About COVID Vaccines" and is now available.
Its goal is "to help Spanish-speaking communities get vaccinated against COVID-19," according to a press release provided in advance to NBC News, sister network of Noticias Telemundo.
Study reveals which Latinos are most reluctant to get vaccinated and how many say they never will
June 16, 202101: 46
The chat can be accessed by scanning a QR code or clicking on a link.
After the user responds "hello," a menu of options appears with nearby vaccination sites, information on transportation to and from there, and answers to frequently asked questions.
The information service is part of the federal
We can do this
campaign
.
On Friday, President Joe Biden celebrated reaching 300 million vaccines in his first 150 days in office, but with about two weeks to go, his goal of vaccinating 70% of the country will be difficult to reach.
At the current rate, however, it is expected to come close.
As of Sunday, 65% of adults nationwide had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
A river of constant misinformation
Latinos have lagged behind in vaccination rates compared to whites.
As of June 14,
36% of Latinos had received at least one dose of the vaccine compared to 45% of whites,
according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
According to an analysis by the foundation, equity in vaccination rates has been improving since March 1.
Federal, state, and local governments have implemented strategies to educate people about COVID-19 and the vaccine.
But some experts say that
not enough information is available in Spanish and that Latinos continue to be a target of misinformation
.
[Vaccines against COVID-19 do protect against the infectious delta variant although the effectiveness is lower]
Even the pastors of some churches have been accused of spreading lies about the vaccine, including that it is "the mark of the beast," a reference to a passage from the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
Dr. Anne Elise Drozdoski gives Adriana Navarro a dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
At Giorgio Companies in Blandon, Pennsylvania, CATE's Mobile Vaccination Unit administers Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to workers on April 14, 2021.Ben Hasty / MediaNews Group / Reading Eagle via Getty Images
Although Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms have taken steps to eliminate false information reaching users, many
conspiracy theories continue to circulate freely on closed messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
Although total COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in the United States have fallen dramatically since the peak earlier this year, experts warn that the spread of variants, particularly the delta variant, can lead to an increase in new cases if not vaccinated. more people.
