Facebook has announced it will begin labelling all posts containing coronavirus vaccine information as the social media giant continues to cut down on misinformation.

The new policy will see vaccine-related posts flagged to provide users with information from the World Health Organization.

In a statement published online today (15^th March), the social media giant revealed it will work closely with authorities and health services in a host of nations to provide factual information on vaccines.

The announcement comes at a critical time for vaccine roll-out programmes around the globe, with Britain’s programme having passed the 24 million mark for first doses this weekend.

The new labels set to feature on vaccine-related posts will offer users additional information on the distribution and efficacy of vaccines. The latter of these subjects has been the topic of countless damaging conspiracy theories, and experts believe that misinformation on the safety of Covid vaccines might be slowing uptake.

“In the coming weeks, we’re rolling out labels on all posts generally about Covid-19 vaccines that point people to the Covid-19 Information Center globally, and plan to add additional targeted labels about Covid-19 vaccination subtopics,” the social media giant said.

Facebook revealed it will also add an “additional screen” when a user attempts to share a vaccine-related post on Facebook or Instagram.

The firm said this additional feature will provide more information so “people have the context they need to make informed decisions about what they share”.

Sister platform Instagram will also now host its own Covid-19 Information Centre, a feature that was previously exclusive to Facebook only.

In the UK, this means users will be offered information on vaccine rollouts in their area, as well as advice on eligibility.

“We’re bringing the Covid-19 Information Center to Instagram all around the world. This portal, which we launched in the Facebook app last March, helps people discover the latest information about the virus from local health ministries and the World Health Organisation,” the company said in a statement.

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Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook has been heavily criticised for failing to crack down on the issue of fake news and misinformation. A report published last year suggested that Facebook was fuelling an ‘infodemic’ of coronavirus misinformation.

Facebook has repeatedly refuted claims the platform is a misinformation super spreader and has launched a number of campaigns to address the issue.

In February, the social media firm expanded the list of false claims it will remove during the pandemic to include “debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines”.

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Since the launch of the new policy, which applies to new and old content, Facebook said it has removed two million pieces of content from both its major platforms.

“The majority of this additional content was previously subject to warning screens, and is now removed from the platform,” Facebook said.

In its statement, Facebook was keen to highlight the work it has carried out in partnership with global health authorities and governments.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the social media firm said it has partnered with “ministries of health and health-focused organisations in more than 170 countries” to tackle misinformation and ensure the circulation of factual information on the virus.

This has included “providing free ads, enabling partners to share their own public health guidance on Covid-19 and information about the Covid-19 vaccine”.