He may be 80 but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor is joining Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter to encourage the nation’s teens to get vaccinated.
It is all part of a plan by the White House to specifically target younger members of America’s population through targeted advertising as 16s and over become eligible for the vaccine.
Fauci, an unexpected star of the pandemic, will release informative Snapchat clips on the virus and vaccine. Other senior administrative officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and assistant HHS secretary Rachel Levine may also be called for appearances.
Biden is also expected to record a public service announcement which will be shared across multiple social media outlets.
The targeted ads are to start later on Monday and pinpoint other specific demographics where vaccine uptake has traditionally been slow including those in black and Latino communities.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, 80, hopes to encourage younger people including teens to get the coronavirus vaccine and will target teens through Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter
Push notifications will also be used in an attempt to ensure that almost everyone who is eligible and who has a cellphone with some form of social media app, gets the message.
There will also be a further drive to see that those with more conservative viewpoints are also encouraged to get the injection, according to Axios.
Senior officials in White House Health Department will also make additional media appearances including Dr. Anthony Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and assistant HHS secretary Rachel Levine.
The Biden Administration is focusing on younger people Latino and black communities who have traditionally been hesitant to receive the vaccine along with conservatives
Some will also appear on news shows and television channels popular with black and Latino viewers.
President Biden also intends to record special message to be shared across social media platforms.
The White House is said to be aware that such media bombardment ‘may not be the most effective voice in promoting the vaccine to certain parts of the population.’
However, a further outreach to an additional 6,000 community partner that includes doctors and churches will be made.
A social media toolkit is to be sent out to encourage local organizations to encourage their own members and followers to get the jab.
So far, half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 shot.
The government announced the news on Sunday, marking another milestone in the nation’s largest-ever vaccination campaign but leaving more work to do to convince skeptical Americans to roll up their sleeves.
Almost 130 million people 18 or older have received at least one dose of a vaccine, or 50.4% of the total adult population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Almost 84 million adults, or about 32.5% of the population, have been fully vaccinated.
The U.S. cleared the 50% mark just a day after the reported global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million, according to totals compiled by Johns Hopkins University, though the actual number is believed to be significantly higher.
The country’s vaccination rate, at 61.6 doses administered per 100 people, currently falls behind Israel, which leads among countries with at least 5 million people with a rate of 119.2.
The U.S. also trails the United Arab Emirates, Chile and the United Kingdom, which is vaccinating at a rate of 62 doses per 100 people.
President Biden also intends to record special message to be shared across social media platforms