App to show where to find Covid-19 vaccine

Google has announced that it’s rolling out a feature on its Google Maps that will soon display locations that offer Covid-19 vaccinations.

According to the company, the feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks, beginning in four states in the United States: Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

“Today we’re announcing that 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,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said.

The move was after searches for "vaccines near me" increased five times since the beginning of the year when vaccines were rolled out.

Google said it's implementing the new feature to ensure that it's providing locally relevant answers to people.

The company said it was now working with VaccineFinder.org, government agencies, retail pharmacies, and other authoritative sources to gather the data on vaccination sites.

The search results will include details about whether appointments or referrals from a doctor are required, whether there’s a drive-thru option or if access is limited to specific people. 

The information about vaccine sites will roll out to other states and countries later.