Google Maps to add Covid-19 vaccine site locations
According to Google search results, the production and early stage delivery of multiple safe vaccines have seen searches for 'vaccines near me' rise five-fold since the beginning of the year
The technology giant Google has announced that it will add Covid-19 vaccination locations to its Maps and Search apps.
Google will also provide $150 million to "promote vaccine education and fair distribution," said CEO Sundar Pichai, while also opening its own pages to act as vaccination spots, reports The Independent.
According to Google search results, the production and early stage delivery of multiple safe vaccines have seen searches for 'vaccines near me' rise five-fold since the beginning of the year.
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Before rolling out to more US states and nations, the project will start with Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, but no fixed timeline has yet been confirmed.
In order to highlight authoritative information, Google will begin adding the official vaccination sites to its Maps and Search "in the coming weeks".
"The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected every community all over the world. It's also inspired coordination between public and private sectors, and across international borders, on a remarkable scale," Mr Pichai wrote in a blog post outlining Google's efforts.
"Getting vaccines to billions of people won't be easy, but it's one of the most important problems we'll solve in our lifetimes."
Under US President Joe Biden, the US plans to give out 100 million Covid-19 vaccine shots in the first 100 days of the new administration.
Google has previously faced criticism over its handling of coronavirus misinformation on its platforms, most notably YouTube.
The video-sharing service was forced to introduce a slew of new measures in an effort to stem the spread of false medical information and conspiracy theories related to Covid-19.
Earlier this month, the world's largest online video platform announced a partnership with health organisations to create content containing information from official sources.
Mr Pichai said a new initiative called 'Get The Facts' was planned across Google and YouTube "to get authoritative information out to the public about vaccines."
