Where can you get a COVID vaccine in Texas? Google Maps will soon be able to help
Google is releasing a new feature that will make it easier for Texans to find COVID-19 vaccination locations near them.
Google Maps will soon display 19 vaccination locations across Texas, Arizona, Louisiana and Mississippi, the company announced Monday. The rollout is expected in the “coming weeks” and will also be available through Google’s search function.
The tech giant said searches for “vaccines near me” have spiked in the new year, increasing five times since Jan. 1. Google said it hopes to meet demand by “providing locally relevant answers.”
Google Maps will display details including whether an appointment or referral is required, whether a drive-thru is available or if the vaccine location is limiting access to only some groups, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, wrote in a blog post.
Google said it plans to expand the feature to other states and countries and is working with VaccineFinder.org — an initiative of Boston Children’s Hospital — along with government agencies and pharmacies to collect information to make it available to users.
The tech company also plans to start displaying state and regional vaccine distribution information in its search results in an effort to make it easier for users to see if they’re eligible to receive the vaccine.
In addition to the new features, Google also announced it’s offering up some of its facilities — including buildings and parking lots — to help with vaccination efforts. It currently has plans to open sites in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area; Kirkland, Washington; and New York City and hopes to expand nationally.
“We can’t slow down now,” Pichai said. “Getting vaccines to billions of people won’t be easy, but it’s one of the most important problems we’ll solve in our lifetimes. Google will continue to support in whatever way we can.”
This isn’t Google Maps’ first feature pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic.
In September, Google Maps added a new layer to the service that displays COVID-19 information in your area, including the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and whether cases are trending up or down.
It also provides a color-coded display to show how dense cases are in your area.
Texas is currently in Phase 1B of its vaccination plan, which means frontline healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents are eligible as well as people 65 and older and those who are at least 16 and have a chronic illness that may put them at risk for serious illness due to COVID-19.