Google to help you get COVID-19 vaccination centre info on Maps, Search

Photo used for representational purpose. Pic/AFP

Google India on Friday said it is working with the Union Health Ministry and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to accurately surface the information on vaccination centres on Search, Maps and Assistant. The search engine giant said that it expects to roll out information on vaccination centres in the coming weeks. So far, 2.6 crore doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'.

"As Covid-19 continues to challenge our communities, we remain committed to doing all we can to assist the country's health agencies at this key juncture of the pandemic, where the successful rollout of these large-scale vaccinations can help us collectively turn a corner and see a much-needed return to normalcy," Google India said in a statement. The company said it has been working closely with the Rapid Risk Response team at the Union Health Ministry that is tracking misinformation using social media listening tools across region and languages, and countering it with science-based messaging on vaccines and pandemic response overall.

As the government activates the processes involved in implementing large-scale vaccinations against Covid-19, Google India has put in efforts to surface authoritative and timely information for people asking vaccine-related questions. "We have worked with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to amplify this science-based narrative around vaccination drive," Google India said.

Shortly after the first phase of vaccinations commenced, the company rolled out knowledge panels in Google Search that show up for queries relating to the Covid vaccine. These panels provide consolidated information such as details on the two vaccines, effectiveness, safety, distribution, side effects, and more, and is available in English and eight Indian languages -- Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, and Hindi. This information is sourced from MoHFW, and provides answers to commonly asked questions, displays real-time statistics around vaccinations completed, and provides links to the MoHFW website for additional local resources.

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