Google Goes All-In On Vaccination Efforts

It has been more than a year since COVID-19 reared its ugly head, but sadly, we have yet to get a handle on things. Despite early efforts to curb the spread, the virus’ resilience within the community has proved overwhelming. Thankfully, several vaccines have been developed by world-renowned pharmaceutical firms, to help us turn the corner.

However, mitigating the spread will require all hands on deck. That is why Google is chipping in, wherever it’s possible. The company has pledged to provide financial aid to help fight the spread of the virus.

In a post on Google’s blog, the company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai said the following:

“We’re providing more than $150 million to promote vaccine education and equitable distribution and making it easier to find locally relevant information, including when and where to get the vaccine.”

But that isn’t all. Google is also lending a helping hand in the form of financial assistance in several places:

• Additional $100 million in ad grants for the CDC Foundation, the World Health Organization, and nonprofits around the globe.
• Invest another $50 million in partnership with public health agencies to reach underserved communities with vaccine-related content and information.
• $5 million in grants to organizations addressing racial and geographic disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations, including Morehouse School of Medicine’s Satcher Health Leadership Institute and the CDC Foundation.

Credit: Google

Beside this, Google will also help provide accurate information on vaccines. It’s Search panel will provide information on this for more than 40 countries and in dozens of languages. Once its available in your area, Google’s Search will be table to let you know of vaccination locations and whether you’ll be eligible for said vaccine.

Regarding this feature Pichai also said, “ We’ll include details like whether an appointment or referral is required, if access is limited to specific groups, or if it has a drive-through.”

“We’re working with partners like VaccineFinder.org, an initiative of Boston Children’s Hospital, and other authoritative sources, such as government agencies and retail pharmacies, to gather vaccination location information and make it available.”

This Google Search and Maps feature will roll out in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, with more states and countries to come. In addition to this, the company is also making its own select buildings, parking lots and open spaces available for the vaccination efforts. This could include plans to expand throughout the US.

Google’s AI services are also being adopted by retail pharmacies, logistics companies, and public sector institutions to help speed up the delivery of vaccines. Its Intelligent Vaccine Impact Platform is helping states like New York and North Carolina better manage the distribution of the vaccine.