India’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis continues to be a monumental task, and people from all walks of life are coming together online to provide aid and relief. Several social media platforms are also being used to form groups (read communities) that include information on how to procure medicines and other essentials. Notably, existing platforms such as Google Maps, Assistant, and Search have added a slew of features to help Indians find the nearest COVID-19 vaccine and testing centres around their locations. Alphabet-Google’s three platforms essentially provide users multiple options to choose from (or at least explore) as resources in many states in India remain overburdened. The platforms are also adding advisories from the government to ease travel amid curfews and lockdowns.
To check the availability of testing centres around you, open Google Maps or Search and simply search for “covid test near me.” Users can also use keywords such as “COVID 19 test” or “covid testing” to get results. Both iOS and Android users can view the information directly on the map (represented by landmark icons) or via a listicle. Users can find information on referral, private or government, contact, and operational timing. To check whether the lab offers home testing, users would need to check with the centre directly via a phone call. The COVID-19 test centre-search feature on Maps and Search was added in June 2020. To find the same results with Google Assistant, user can give voice commands with the same keywords.
Similarly, Google Maps, Assistant, and Search recently added the feature to allow users to find COVID-19 vaccine centre around them. Users will need to search with similar keywords like “COVID 19 vaccination” or “covid vaccination near me.” Users will need to check the availability of slot with the hospital directly. To book a slot, the central government has developed a dedicated CoWIN website, an Android app of the same name, and an integrated platform with the Aarogya Setu app.
Earlier this week, Google added new tools to its search engine that shows users COVID-19-related advisories for their destination. The company, in a blog post, said that there has been an increase in search queries like “travel restrictions” and “where to travel” and that the Explore tool has also got its own tab on Google.com/travel and it has been redesigned to show more destinations, filters for destinations, travel advisory or restrictions, and more helpful information. The software giant has also made some updates to Google Maps on the desktop to help users with planning their trips.
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