Google to show Covid-19 testing centres in Search results

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Google in the past couple of weeks has rolled out a number of updates and features to its products and services that make it easier for its users to get verified information pertaining to the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, the company is going a step further and making this process a tad bit easier.

Google is planning to add a new feature to Search that will make it easy for users to look for Covid-19 testing centres when they search for information on the virus outbreak on its search engine.

According to a report by The Verge, the company will show a list of over 2,000 testing centres across 43 states in the United States when users search for Covid-19-related data. This information comes from “government agencies, public health departments, or directly from healthcare institutions” and it will vary “by local region and may change frequently”, the company said in a support document.

In addition to this, Google is also adding a new “Testing” tab to Search that will give users various resources pertaining to the virus outbreak.

In India, when users search for Covid-19, they see a page that sources the latest new articles and government links pertaining to the virus outbreak. They also see a list on the left side of their screens that gives an overview of the disease.How Search page on Covid-19 looks in India. ( Google )

As per the report, the company is planning to add the new “Testing” tab between Symptoms and Prevention tab. This will give users information pertaining to the Covid-19 testing centres near them. The new tab will also give users information about specific testing centres.

This feature is available in the US only for now and the company hasn’t detailed when it would roll out a similar feature to its users across the globe. However, given the pace at which the tech giant launched an India-focused Covid-19 site shortly after launching one in the US, it shouldn’t be long.

Interestingly, the update comes shortly after Apple started its own efforts of showing Covid-19 testing centres in Apple Maps. The company has launched a special portal for hospitals, labs and other healthcare facilities to register as Covid-19 testing centres. The company will add their location on Apple Maps once it has done a thorough review of these applications.