The function will begin in the coming weeks, starting in four states: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Google (GOOGL) announced on Monday that searches for ‘vaccines near me’ have increased fivefold since the beginning of the year and that it is implementing this feature to ensure it provides ‘local answers’.
The results, which can also be shown in the search results in designated information panels, contain details on whether an appointment is required, if the vaccine is only available to certain groups and whether there is a transit window. Google said it works with “authoritative sources” for the information, including local governments and retail pharmacies. Vaccine information will be released to other states and countries later.
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, there is confusion about the vaccine with 60% of Americans saying they do not know when or where to get it. Vaccine availability in the United States has also been problematic with President Joe Biden urging patience that rollout will improve soon. He ultimately aims to deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine in his first hundred days in office.
This is the latest change to Google Maps in connection with the pandemic. In September, the Maps app began showing seven-day averages of new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and Alphabet, also said on Monday that the company was donating $ 100 million in advertising grants to the CDC Foundation, the World Health Organization and other non-profit organizations to issue “critical public service medical announcements” about the virus. feed. “We realize that it’s a complicated problem to get vaccinations from people, and we’m committed to doing our part,” he said.
Certain parts of Google’s facilities, including parking lots and open spaces, in California, New York and Washington will also be open for vaccination efforts and administration. This is the latest corporate conglomerate to help improve vaccine vaccination Starbucks (SBUX), Amazon (AMZN) and Walmart (WMT) similar efforts have been made in recent weeks.
