Google launches $150 million coronavirus vaccine education and distribution push

Google said Monday that it was mounting a new $150 million coronavirus vaccine education and distribution push worldwide.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that searches for “vaccines near me” have risen five-fold since the beginning of the year so his company has worked to provide authoritative information on vaccines to its users.

“In the coming weeks, COVID-19 vaccination locations will be available in Google Search and Maps, starting with Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with more states and countries to come,” Mr. Pichai wrote on the company’s blog. “We’ll include details like whether an appointment or referral is required, if access is limited to specific groups, or if it has a drive-through. We’re working with partners like VaccineFinder.org, an initiative of Boston Children’s Hospital, and other authoritative sources, such as government agencies and retail pharmacies, to gather vaccination location information and make it available.”

The company also said it would open up Google facilities, including buildings and parking lots, for use as vaccination sites.

Mr. Pichai wrote that Google’s work will “focus heavily on equitable access to vaccines” because people of color and rural communities do not have access to the vaccine at the same rates as other measurable demographic groups.