White House: Dating apps to add vaccination badges, "super swipes"

May 21 (UPI) -- The White House has asked dating apps to add badges to profiles to indicate who has been vaccinated, the administration said Friday.

Officials said the badges will aid President Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 70% of American adults by July 4.

Senior White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters during a briefing Friday that dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid, Bumble, BLK and other dating sites are joining the effort.

The apps will offer incentives like free access to premium content for vaccinated adults, while sites like BLK and Chispa will boost profiles of those who say they're vaccinated.

"We believe it's important to reach young people where they are in an effort to get vaccinated," said Slavitt. "Social distancing and dating were always a bit of a challenging combination.

He added that the administration's goal is to "help people meet people who have that universally attractive quality" of being vaccinated.

Verifying one's vaccination on the sites, however, could pose a challenge.

The apps will also direct users to learn how to get vaccinated, including connecting them with educational materials and information on how to find the nearest vaccination site.

According to The New York Times, fewer than 40% of Americans are fully vaccinated and 48% received at least one dose.

Slavitt announced that starting Monday, people can text 438829 to see where vaccines are available and get free rides to and from clinics.