As India battles the shortage of hospital beds and medical oxygen under the shadow of the second COVID-19 wave, Google is testing a new feature using Google Maps. This feature will enable users in India to search for and share such information at their locations.

 

Through this feature, people can ask for information related to these things, as well as share it with others. This feature can prove to be of great use in the war against Corona among the number of Covid patients growing in the country.

 

We’re testing a new feature using the Q&A function in Maps that enables people to ask about and share local information on availability of beds and medical oxygen in select locations. As this will be user generated content and not provided by authorised sources, it may be required to verify the accuracy and freshness of the information before utilizing it,” Google said.

 

What’s the New Feature

The Google search engine is already displaying information panels with the latest updates on vaccines like their safety, efficacy and side effects. The search engine also shows the vaccine registration information for users.

Google is now testing a pilot feature in Maps using the Q&A function to help people, searching for hospital beds and medical oxygen. Once this feature is activated, people can ask about and share local information on the availability of beds and medical oxygen in select locations.

Since this will be user-generated content and not provided by authorised sources, the company warns that the available information might require verification for its accuracy and freshness.

 

Support for India

Google has been running an internal donation campaign to raise funds for non-profit organizations including GiveIndia, Charities Aid Foundation India, GOONJ and United Way of Mumbai. It has also rolled out a COVID Aid campaign on Google Pay featuring non-profit organisations. The company also thanked Google Pay users who contributed to these organisations.

Meanwhile, India recorded 3,66,494 new cases on May 9, with an average of 3,91,008 in the last seven days.