YouTube Launches PSAs to Boost Confidence in Covid-19 Vaccine

YouTube launched a series of public service announcements on Monday encouraging people to get vaccinated for covid-19. The videos come as health experts in the U.S. worry there will soon be more covid-19 vaccine doses available to Americans than people who want to take them.

The YouTube video series, produced in conjunction with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s Vaccine Confidence Project, launched on Monday in the U.S. and will be rolled out to other countries as covid-19 vaccines become more widely available worldwide.

“A year ago, the idea that things could return to normal felt distant — maybe even impossible. But since then, COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and are now becoming more readily available every day, such as in the U.S. where vaccines are now available to all 16+. The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to feel closer,” YouTube said in a statement posted online.

Covid-19 has killed more than 572,000 Americans and sickened at least 32 million since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University. But over 94 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, an impressive number in a country of roughly 330 million people.

YouTube’s description of the PSA series explains:

Crowd surfing, birthday celebrations, wedding receptions, dance parties, hugs, and so much more. This series of videos reminds us what life was like before the COVID-19 pandemic – all of the everyday moments that made us smile and brought us together. Seeing these moments highlights what health authorities have said: that getting vaccinated is key to getting back to the things we love.

But if there’s one flaw in the video PSA series, we can probably blame it on the lawyers over at Google. Strangely, the description also includes a disclaimer:

For informational purposes only. This is not an endorsement or a statement of health information of any kind. For information on COVID-19 vaccines and their efficacy and safety, consult the Food & Drug Administration website and the Centers for Disease Control. Consult your local medical authority or your healthcare practitioner for advice in relation to COVID-19 vaccination and vaccines.

Kinda of undermines the entire message, doesn’t it?