WHO launches Facebook Messenger chatbot that can inform you on COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) partnered with Facebook to launch a chatbot-like service which anyone can now message, and learn information about the coronavirus from.

After messaging WHO here, and choosing a preferred language, Facebook Messenger users can then select a number of COVID-19 topics to learn more about, such as the latest numbers of infected people, how to protect yourself during the pandemic, news, and more.

Through this, the World Health Organization hopes to expand their reach to people everywhere, providing them with factual information on current coronavirus-related topics and events.

Facebook notes that WHO will be leveraging Messenger's reach to more than 1.3 billion monthly users, who can now take advantage of this simple, helpful service. The company also points out that in regions most affected by COVID-19, use of Facebook's apps has increased by over 50%.

As we previously mentioned, several silicon valley companies have shown effort into supporting their users during those times of social distancing and financial insecurity. Last week, Google began offering its Premium Google Meet service for free, to remain like it until the end of the year. And while Facebook Messenger is most often used by families and friends to stay in touch, Meet covers users in the educational and business sectors.

Reliance on the internet has understandably increased over the last few months, with streaming services like Netflix, HBO Now and Disney+ seeing spikes in subscription rates, due to many turning to online entertainment to pass the time.

With the increased traffic on the web, however, comes the possibility of slow downs and reduced web stability due to network congestion. In late March, Facebook and Instagram lowered their video quality, with YouTube to follow suit, lowering theirs to standard definition, in an effort to decrease their internet footprint, so that the internet remains stable and accessible, as it's needed more than ever.