Instagram rolls out new notifications about COVID-19 information

Photo-sharing platform Instagram has announced the launch of two new features to help combat Covid-19 misinformation: users in areas with surging cases will see a link to their local health authority at the top of their feed and anyone searching for vaccine information will also be directed to credible health sources.

According to The Verge, these measures will be taken in addition to the social network blocking hashtags that contain vaccine misinformation, which also got a mention in announcement tweets.

The following features have been rolled out after several companies took steps to keep coronavirus misinformation from spreading at a vital time for the US, as health institutions struggle with record hospitalisations and the first of the approved Covid-19 vaccines start to roll out.

As reported by The Verge, Facebook, Instagram's parent company has rolled out its own misinformation-combating feature, sending users notifications if they have interacted with posts that contain it.