Google has been providing many features on its platforms to help people with crucial information. Google claims to have released more than 200 new products, features and initiatives, including the Exposure Notification API to aid in contact tracking, and has pledged more than $ 1 billion to help our users, customers and partners around the world.
Now that countries are entering the phase where vaccines are licensed, Google will begin providing information on vaccines once they are licensed. As communities will be vaccinated at an unprecedented rate and scale, information will need to be shared to educate the public, including addressing misperceptions and concerns about vaccinations, and helping people receive official guidance on when, where and how to get vaccinated.
Google shared how they are working to meet these needs, through their products and partnering with health authorities, while keeping harmful misinformation off their platforms.
The new features are being rolled out in the UK, which is the first country to license the vaccine. Google has launched a new feature in search. When people search for information on Covid-19 vaccines, Google will display a list of licensed vaccines in their location, as well as information panels on each individual vaccine. Google has stated that as other health authorities begin to authorize vaccines, they will introduce this new feature in more countries.
Launched in March, Google’s Covid-19 dashboards on YouTube have been viewed 400 billion times. These panels appear on the YouTube home page and in pandemic videos and search results. Google says the panel updates will connect people directly to vaccine information from local and global health authorities. Google also stated that they will connect YouTube creators with leading health experts to create useful and engaging content for their audiences on Covid-19 and vaccines.