Google now showing COVID-19 vaccination locations in 6 countries, funding 250,000 shots

Abner Li | Apr 15 2021 - 8:05 am PT

As the COVID-19 vaccination rollout continues, Google today announced a number of additional efforts to help achieve distribution equity worldwide, like surfacing locations in Maps and Search. The Google.org philanthropic arm is making several donations to increase access in the US and abroad.

At the start of this year, Google said Maps and Search would surface COVID-19 vaccination locations. That information is now available in the US, Canada, France, Chile, India, and Singapore.

Stateside, Google.org is providing $2.5 million in grant funding to three organizations working on pop-up vaccination sites and other efforts. Partners in Health, Stop the Spread, and Team Rubicon are “working directly with over 500 community-based organizations to serve Black, Latino and rural communities.”

Nearly a quarter of people in the U.S. are now vaccinated. Yet we know that vaccination rates vary by geography and community. Reaching everyone will require partnerships with community-based organizations and local health centers that have on-the-ground expertise and the trust of the people they serve.

Meanwhile, the philanthropic arm is funding vaccinations for 250,000 people in low and middle-income countries. Google.org is also providing Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, with “pro bono technical assistance to accelerate global distribution” and committing $15 million in Ad Grants. An employee giving campaign will also see donations matched to increase the impact.

Lastly, the company is committing an additional $250 million in Ad Grants to governments and community/public health organizations, like WHO, to fund more than 2.5 billion vaccine-related PSAs.