CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday detailed a handful of initiatives to help boost vaccine distribution amid the ongoing pandemic. One physical effort involves offering Google offices as COVID-19 vaccination sites.
To help with vaccination efforts, starting in the United States, we’ll make select Google facilities—such as buildings, parking lots and open spaces—available as needed. These sites will be open to anyone eligible for the vaccine based on state and local guidelines.
In the US, Google has 29 offices spread across the country. Many have outdoor spaces ideal for social distancing and are currently unused amid work from home (WFH) requirements. There are five offices in the Bay Area, while Los Angeles has three.
We’ll start by partnering with health care provider One Medical and public health authorities to open sites in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in California; Kirkland, Washington; and New York City, with plans to expand nationally. We’re working with local officials to determine when sites can open based on local vaccine availability.
Google’s announcement today does suggest that offices in other countries could be used for COVID-19 vaccinations, though the company is starting stateside. Vaccinations will be run by public authorities and other health providers.
More about COVID-19:
- Google issues fix to COVID-19 API on Android that caused endless ‘loading’ notification
- Google working to support COVID-19 Exposure Notifications on wearables
- Search now shows COVID-19 requirements, service options for local businesses
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
