YouTube to add link on coronavirus vaccines to combat misinformation

"The link will send users directly to authoritative COVID-19 vaccine information from a third-party source, " YouTube said in a statement.

Representational Image (Reuters)

Alphabet Inc`s YouTube has said that it is adding a link to provide information on the development of COVID-19 vaccines to the coronavirus panel on its site, expanding its efforts to combat misinformation related to the pandemic.

"The link will send users directly to authoritative COVID-19 vaccine information from a third-party source like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization (WHO)," the company said in a statement.

Conspiracy theories and misinformation about the new coronavirus vaccines have proliferated on social media, including through anti-vaccine personalities on YouTube and viral videos shared across multiple platforms.

A study conducted recently in the United States and Britain found conspiracy theories and misinformation fuel mistrust in vaccines and could push levels that potential COVID-19 vaccines are taken below the rates needed to protect communities against the disease.

In October, the video platform said it would remove videos containing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, and ban any content with claims that contradict consensus from local health authorities or the WHO.