The feature will be rolled out 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 is implementing this feature to ensure it “provides locally relevant responses . “
The results, which will also be displayed in search results in named information panels, will include details on whether a prescription is required, if the vaccine is only available to specific groups and if driver there. Google said it was working with “authoritative sources” for the information, including local governments and sales. Information on vaccine sites will be disseminated to other states and countries at a later date.
Confusion over the rampant vaccine with 60% of Americans saying they do not know when or where to get it, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Vaccination is a problem in the United States with President Joe Biden urging patience to be released soon. He eventually aims to deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine in the first 100 days of his office.
This is the latest update on Google Maps regarding the pandemic. In September, the Maps app began showcasing an average of seven days of new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people.
Google CEO and Alphabet Sundar Pichai also said Monday that the company is donating $ 100 million in advertising donations to the CDC Foundation, the World Health Organization and other nonprofits to “emergency public service health calls” run about the virus. “We recognize that getting vaccines for humans is a complex problem to solve, and we are committed to doing our part,” he said.
Some Google facilities, including parking bays and open spaces, in California, New York and Washington will also be opened for vaccination and administration efforts. This is the latest physical conglomerate that will help improve the spread of the vaccine, with Starbucks (SBUX), Amazon (AMZN) and Walmart (WMT) offering similar efforts a few weeks ago.
