Tinder has encouraged users to keep “virtual” appointments during the coronavirus pandemic.
Budrul Chukrut / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
Aside from asking about your perfect day or favorite vacation spot, popular dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Plenty of Fish ask members if they want to tell if they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19.
The White House announced on Friday that it is partnering with the apps to raise vaccine awareness and encourage young adults across the country to get vaccinated.
Andy Slavitt, senior Covid-19 official at the White House, said one of the apps, OkCupid, says members who show their vaccination status are “14% more likely to get a match. We finally found what makes us all more attractive. ” A vaccination. ”
More than 60% of adults in the United States have received at least one Covid-19 shot, but 42% of adults ages 18 to 34 say they are unwilling to take a Covid-19, according to a Quinnipiac poll in February – Get vaccine. As more and more variants emerge, the summer weather approaches and the mask mandates decrease, efforts to reach hesitant young adults intensify.
“The pandemic has also negatively affected the social lives of young people. Social distancing and dating have always been a challenging combination,” Slavitt told reporters in a briefing.
As part of President Biden’s goal of having 70% of adults in the US vaccinated with at least one shot by July 4th, Slavitt announced that dating apps Tinder, Plenty of Fish, OkCupid, BLK, Hinge, Match , Chispa, Bumble and Badoo are rolling out features to promote vaccination among users. The apps collectively serve more than 50 million people in the United States and many are young adults.
Badges are displayed in the apps that a user can view on their profile to determine that they have been or should be vaccinated.
Additional functions include access to premium content such as “Boosts”, “Super-Likes” and “Super-Swipes” for vaccinated people, as well as search filters with which users can search specifically for other users who have been vaccinated or are planning a vaccination.
OkCupid said their features will be implemented on May 24th, Chispa and BLK said theirs will be implemented on June 1st. The other apps will start rolling out the new features in the next few weeks.
“In all seriousness, people care about other things in life besides their vaccine. But the vaccine allows people to get back to the things they enjoy in life,” Slavitt said, noting that people want to know they are be able to resume their normal life in a safe manner.
