• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 17, 2021

Twilio has now stepped in to the center of the pandemic fight, in response to the need to send out critical information on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

The marketing tech company, of which the SendGrid email service is a brand, expects to power vaccine-related messages to over 1 billion people in the next 12-24 months. 

This occurs as over 100 federal, state and local governments have turned to Twilio for COVID-19 response support. And the firm has seen COVID 19-related usage in 180 countries. 

Other service companies are surely being tasked with similar functions as the national vaccination program ramps up and new dangers come into play from variants.

For its part, Twilio is facilitating vaccine delivery by distributing public information. Specifically, it is serving: 

- The Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which has created a hybrid hotline and phone system using Twilio Flex.

- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which has sent 400,000 vaccine-related text messages in two weeks. 

In addition, it is helping health organizations such as St. Luke’s University Health Network, MaineHealth and Spectrum Health. 

“Effective communication and coordination play a critical role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, especially while demand outstrips global supply,” states Erin Reilly, chief social impact officer at Twilio.

The company cites the belief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that reaching intended vaccine recipients “is essential to achieving desired levels of COVID-19 vaccination coverage.” 

However, it notes that this is a complex chore, given the disparate rollouts and systems at the federal, state and local levels. 

It adds that channels such as voice, SMS, What’sApp and other forms of messaging can help it reach the 40% of the world's population without internet access.  

Meanwhile, Twilio has announced $10 million in grants from its Impact Fund. This will support local and global initiatives to provide equitable access and education to under-served communications. 

In addition, the firm will provide $1 million in Twilio and SendGrid product credits. In addition, it is providing existing kickstart credit and discounted pricing.