Google Joins India In Fight Against Virus

Once considered a success story in the battle against COVID-19, India’s inability to stem the rise of a second wave of infections has had severe consequences on the population. The dire situation has prompted other nations to lend a helping hand. The US, UK and several others are chipping in any way they can to help India’s buckling healthcare system.

Google wants to join in as well. The tech giant has pledged to provide assistance in various ways to help the country turn things around. It has announced a 135 Crore INR ($18 million USD) in new funding for India, which incude two grants from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, totalling 20 Crore INR ($2.6 million USD.

The money wil be used to provide cash to families hit hardest by the crisis and assist UNICEF with acquiring urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it’s needed most. this also includes donations from its ongoing employee giving campaign.

Besides this, Google is also pledging an additional 112 Crore INR ($15 million) in Ad Grants to local health authorities and nonprofits for more language coverage options for messages on facts about staying safe and about vaccines. Google already works with MyGov and the World Health Organization on such information distribution.

The company is also trying to make it easier for people to access COVID-19 related information through its plethora of products, which include Google Search. Said Search results are now available in English and 8 other Indian languages.

It is also trying to provide access to more information such as testing and vaccine sites though the use of Search and Google Maps. On YouTube, Google is supporting the government’s efforts to inform the population on its vaccine communication strategy as well as other important COVID-19 related information.

Though we have all endured COVID-19 related problems in our respective countires, India’s situation is far worse due to its densely populated cities and overcrowded hospitals. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of India during this difficult time. We hope that they will come out of this as soon as possible.