US recruits social media influencers to reach vaccine skeptics and dispel myths

State- and city-based campaigns target people at neighborhood level where vaccination rates are low despite the spread of Delta

As a police sergeant in a rural town, Carlos Cornejo isn't the prototypical social media influencer. But his Spanish-language Facebook page with 650,000 followers was exactly what Colorado leaders were looking for as they recruited residents to try to persuade the most vaccine-hesitant.

Cornejo, 32, is one of dozens of influencers, ranging from busy moms and fashion bloggers to African refugee advocates and religious leaders, getting paid by the state to post vaccine information in hopes of stunting a troubling summer surge of Covid-19.