What you need to know
- WhatsApp is rolling out new vaccine stickers in collaboration with the WHO.
- The company has also waived fees for health organizations that send messages through its WhatsApp Business API.
- The new 'Vaccines for All' stickers are available today within WhatsApp.
WhatsApp today launched a new sticker pack, dubbed "Vaccines for All," in collaboration with the World Health Organization, or WHO. The company is doing this to help users share their vaccine experiences with fun-looking stickers and is likely hoping to encourage vaccine uptake.
In 2020, WhatsApp also launched a new "Together at Home" sticker pack, also in partnership with the WHO in an attempt to help people stay connected as lockdowns started. This new pack is a reflection of the current stage of the pandemic.
WhatsApp also spoke a bit more about its work with public health organizations which began in earnest last year.
Writing in a blog post, WhatsApp said:
Since the start of the pandemic, we have partnered with more than 150 national, state, and local governments, and with organizations like WHO and UNICEF, on COVID-19 helplines to connect our over 2 billion users to accurate information and resources. Over 3 billion messages have been sent across these global helplines in the past year.As the pandemic enters a new phase in many countries, governments are using these helplines to connect citizens privately to accurate vaccine information and registration, in countries such as Indonesia, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, and India. In Indonesia, 500,000 medical workers registered for their vaccine appointments on this service in its first 5 days.
WhatsApp adds that it'll now be waiving any fees incurred under the WhatsApp Business API to help such organizations connect to more and more people.
