Although Google is facing many lawsuit issues, the company is continuously creating COVID-19 related features in its search results. At first, they launched Google Maps Covid layer to track nearby positive patients. Furthermore, they also developed coronavirus safety measures in Google Travel. Now, the tech giant has added a new Vaccine information feature in the SERP.
During this difficult time, Google is giving out quality information for safety, and general wellbeing. They have also introduced different API tools for tracking COVID-19 patients in nearby locations. After suffering from this horrible pandemic, every country in the world is trying to find a curable vaccine. However, this had led to various vaccine misinformation on the web.
Google Search Panel shows COVID-19 Vaccine Information
In a recent blog post, the company announced to introduce new Search Panels to counter the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. This is definitely a great initiative because this feature will educate users on the accurate treatment. These new Search panels will not only show a list of authorized vaccine centers in your location but also show individual vaccine data.
This feature will first release in the United Kingdom due to the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine approval. But, the company claims to globally expand it in the coming days. Talking about the feature, the panel will appear above the search results. Here, you’ll see the authorized vaccine information in a box. To be specific, you’ll see two tabs with COVID details and news articles.
The first tab will show a list of links to government websites for health and safety precautions. Whereas, the other tab will show Coronavirus news and tutorials in an organized manner. The Chief Health Officer, Karen DeSalvo said that the vaccination process will gradually increase worldwide. Hence, it is necessary to address users about the vaccines incorrect interpretations.
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The main aim behind this vaccine information panel is to guide the users on how, where, and when to get vaccinated. Additionally, Google is also releasing vaccine information on YouTube search panels. Back in March 2020, these YouTube panels were used to show pandemic details and safety measures. Most importantly, it received almost 400 billion views.
This was a direct indication for Google to introduce vaccination details to combat the misconceptions. Apart from Google, Facebook created a strict policy on ads that give misinformation about vaccines. The global tech giant has already started removing Facebook and Instagram posts that give a false cure, safety, and side effects of Coronavirus.
Last month, Google also announced a new policy to remove content that contradicts with WHO and the Centers for Disease Control. For almost one week, One America News Network (OANN) channel posted videos on fake COVID-19 cure. Due to this, YouTube immediately suspended their account for spreading misinformation about the ongoing pandemic.
Unfortunately, Instagram and Facebook are still the number one social media platforms that show Coronavirus fake information. To solve this problem, Google is collaborating with health experts to provide accurate and engaging content on its search result pages. They even invested an extra $15 million in Ad Grants to the WHO to assist with their campaign.
