Google adds authoritative info on COVID-19 vaccines in search results
Google is adding another layer of COVID-19 information.
Now, when you search for information related to COVID-19 vaccines, you'll see a list of authorized vaccines near the user's location and information on each vaccine.
The feature is rolling out in the UK first. In a blog post Thursday, Google said it will be introducing the feature in more countries as other health authorities start authorizing COVID-19 vaccines.
My UK teammates tried the feature out, and though they couldn't get a list of authorized vaccines in a location, they did get a new info panel with top stories on COVID-19 vaccines, answers to common questions, and a list of resources.
Google also said it will provide $1.5 million to fund the creation of a COVID-19 Vaccine Media Hub —that's on top of the $6.5 million the company gave in April to support COVID-19 related fact-checking initiatives.
Finally, the company said it has increased its efforts to combat COVID-19 misinformation on its platforms. In October, Google started removing misleading content on vaccines from YouTube; the company says a total of 700,000 videos have been removed.
Google has steadily been adding more layers of COVID-19 information to its products throughout the year. In September, the company started displaying COVID-19 hot spots in Google Maps, and in June, Google added new travel features to Maps in order to help travelers get around safely.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
