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Facebook to Add Labels to Vaccine Posts


FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2021 file photo a medical staff member prepares the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Tudor Ranch in Mecca, Calif.
FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2021 file photo a medical staff member prepares the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Tudor Ranch in Mecca, Calif.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the social media company will label what it determines is "credible information" about COVID-19 vaccinations.

The company will add labels to posts about the vaccines, which will contain "credible information" from the World Health Organization (WHO), Zuckerberg said in a blog post. WHO has been widely criticized for its response to the pandemic.

"We're adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of COVID-19 vaccines that notes COVID-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before they're approved," Zuckerberg said.

Facebook has been criticized by some for failing to act against what some call misinformation about the vaccines.

The company said it was also going to supply users with information on how to get vaccinated.

In other COVID-19 news, Italy is reimposing new restrictions on three quarters of the country over fears of the British variant of the virus.

In North Carolina, Duke University has locked down all of its undergraduate students for a week citing virus scares.

"This action is necessary to contain the rapidly escalating number of COVID cases among Duke undergraduates, which is principally driven by students attending recruitment parties for selective living groups," the school said in a statement on Saturday.

Citing reports of blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, Germany is suspending the vaccine's use, The Associated Press reported. AstraZeneca and WHO say there is no cause for concern.

Thailand announced it will start using the AstraZeneca vaccine Tuesday, with the prime minister and cabinet receiving the first shots.

Somalia has received the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine, some 300,000 doses.

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