Google’s coronavirus checkup website: Everything we know about it

Both Google and US President Donald Trump have talked about the upcoming website. Here’s everything we know about it.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai. (AP)

Google has already listed out its efforts in making people aware about COVID-19 (coronavirus) when they use services like Google Search. The firm however, is doing something more than this. As the US president Donald Trump said in a press conference on Friday, Google is working on a website that will let people know if they need to get a checkup for coronavirus or not. Although Google did not confirm about this development at the moment, it did tweet an official statement later confirming that it is indeed working on such a website.

So, what do we know about this upcoming Google website that is supposed to let people know if they have to visit a doctor or not? Here's what has been revealed so far.

Website is in early stages: It was duly mentioned that the website is in its early stages and might take some time before it goes live for all the users. We can see the website going live by Monday (March 16, 2020).

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Google's sister company Verily is working on the coronavirus checkup website: This was confirmed in the tweet that clearly mentioned 'Statement from Verily' followed by "We are developing a tool to help triage individuals for Covid-19 testing."

Launching first in the Bay Area: As mentioned in the official statement by Verily (tweeted by Google), the website will be opened for Bay Area residents initially followed by other regions. "Verily is in the early stages of development, and planning to roll testing out in the Bay Area, with the hope of expanding more broadly over time," tweeted the firm.  

"We are fully aligned and continue to work with the US Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, inform citizens, and protect the health of our communities. (1/6) https://t.co/eI1uXra6AB

— Google Communications (@Google_Comms) March 15, 2020

What will the website actually do? As tweeted by Google Communications handle, the website will not just include information about coronavirus but will enable users to do a risk evaluation. They can also schedule an appointment at nearby testing sites.

What is Verily? Verily is one of the companies that falls under Alphabet, Google's parent company. It is the health-care unit of the firm. The new website comes under Verily's Project Baseline.

This comes in addition to several other steps Google has taken in the recent days to make people aware about coronavirus. This includes delivering latest news from verified sources to users, showing useful information up front in Google Search and Youtube.