Vaccinated daters have more luck. The White House is teaming up with apps to get more Americans to "super like" COVID vaccines.
The White House is bringing dating apps into its latest efforts to push Americans to get their COVID-19 shots, as vaccination rates across the country have begun to slow.
"We have finally found the one thing that makes us all more attractive: a vaccination," Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for the COVID response, said Friday, in announcing the joint initiative.
Popular dating apps Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid, BLK, Chispa, Plenty of Fish, Bumble and Badoo are incorporating COVID vaccination into their apps in different ways and are going to be offering incentives to daters who've received their shots, according to a White House press release.
The apps will include some of the following features:
badges touting vaccination status
free premium content including boosts, super likes and super swipes for those who have received their vaccinations
filters that will allow users to search for vaccinated matches
But dating sites probably didn't need much prodding to promote COVID vaccinations. OkCupid, in a recent blog post, noted that the phrase "I'm vaccinated" increased in dater profiles in the past month by 1,400% compared with January. On Monday, OkCupid will be enabling users to highlight their vaccination status by slapping a badge on their profiles that announces "I'm vaccinated."
OkCupid's data shows vaccination is having a positive impact on daters: More than 7 in 10 of its daters say they're getting vaccinated and "those who are planning to get it or already have are getting 15% more likes and 14% more matches, and having 4.5% more conversations," OkCupid's site notes.
On OkCupid, users will be able to search for potential dates by vaccination status, and those who are vaccinated will get a free boost to make their profile more prominent. Bumble and Badoo will also be allowing users to add a "vaccinated" badge to their dating profiles and will give users who have been vaccinated credits for "Spotlight" and "Superswipes" features, according to the White House.
BLK, the largest dating app for Black singles, is also adding a "Vaxified" badge for users, and the Latino site Chispa is adding a "Vaccunado" badge that will give users a "boost" that will put them at the top of the queue for their matches.
Hinge, Match and Plenty of Fish will also enable users to highlight vaccination status on their profiles.
The most downloaded dating app in the world, Tinder, which is estimated to have 66 million monthly users, will enable daters to add profile stickers that say,"Getting Vaxed" or "Vaccines Save Lives." Those who have been vaccinated will have access to free premium advantages like a "Super Like" that will highlight their profiles with potential matches. Tinder also plans to include information about vaccines and nearby locations where users can get their shots.
Tens of millions will have to be vaccinated in order to attain President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of adults with at least one shot by July 4. At this point, more than 60% of American adults have received at least one dose of vaccine, and according to the Biden administration, 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a location where they can be vaccinated.