Meta has supported the Bangladesh government and national health agencies in their COVID-19 response and helped with vaccination roll-out in the country, said a media release on Thursday. Over the past two years, Meta has been partnering closely with the ICT Division and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh to launch nationwide social media campaigns and make it easier for people to access authoritative health information, said a media release on Thursday. Read: Countries face ‘critical moment’ in COVID response: WHO chief The COVID-19 Information Center, also available in Bangla, connected people to www.corona.gov.bd for the latest government directives and helped them learn about best practices on hygiene and safety measures.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, Meta has connected 2 billion people to resources from health authorities and carried out awareness campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, “During the pandemic, Meta provided a platform for Bangladeshis to remain connected to their loved ones and it also helped them stay informed. He thanked Meta for the collaboration to amplify reliable health information and help ensure that people have the resources they need to get vaccinated. “As the world becomes increasingly digital, we hope to continue to work together to raise awareness using new technologies to keep people safe," he added. More than ever before, people are relying on the internet for information and community building. National health agencies and government campaigns around the world have been using personalized ad campaigns across Meta technologies to raise awareness about COVID-19 and best practices. In Bangladesh, Facebook ads highlighted the national helpline 333, making it easier for people to get support. In 2021, COVID-19 Vaccine Finder was launched on Facebook to help citizens find the nearest vaccination centers as vaccines become available and register through the national vaccine registration portal www.surokkha.gov.bd. Read: S Korea giving $50m soft loan to support Bangladesh's Covid responses To ensure that people are connected to reliable information, Meta has removed over 24 million pieces of COVID-19 misinformation since the beginning of the pandemic. Last year, it launched a public education campaign (www.fightcovidmisinfo.com) to help Bangladeshis learn how to identify and combat false information online.  Meta has shared a video on their Facebook page that gives an overview of the company’s COVID-related efforts in Bangladesh. It shows how their technologies have helped strengthen the government’s vaccination efforts and nationwide awareness campaign. “At Meta, we are committed to use our platform to get reliable information out and encourage people to help each other stay safe. We are happy to continue our partnership with governments around the world to bring communities together, protect people and support essential public health programs,” said Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, who leads public policy for Bangladesh at Meta. Meta’s technologies provide a platform that enables people to build community and help each other. Using Facebook’s Blood Donation feature, 11 million people have received notifications from the nearest blood banks with opportunities to donate. People suffering from mental health issues were connected to local helplines on Facebook and Instagram. 

President-elect Joe Biden pledged Friday to boost supplies of coronavirus vaccine and set up new vaccination sites to meet his goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. It’s part of a broader COVID strategy that also seeks to straighten out snags in testing and ensure minority communities are not left out.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and representatives of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service on Wednesday provided essential personal medical logistics as part of US assistance to Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts.