WASHINGTON – On Saturday, Alphabet’s Google announced that it was working alongside the U.S. government on the development of a nationwide website to help Americans with queries regarding coronavirus symptoms, risk factors and testing.
“We are fully aligned and continue to work with the U.S. government to contain the spread of COVID-19, inform citizens, and protect the health of our communities.”
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude to Google for the development of a website to help people ascertain if they needed a coronavirus test. Reportedly, 1,700 engineers are working on the website.
Google responded to this saying that a life sciences division called Verily was in the early stages of development of a tool to aid triage Americans find out who need coronavirus testing. It shall be tested in the Bay Area and eventually expanded over time.
After the announcement by the president on Friday, Alphabet’s shares closed up over 9%.
The U.S. officials are under pressure to increase and improve coronavirus testing. The virus has spread to almost every state in the U.S. prompting school closures and cancellations of sporting events, conferences and concerts have been forced to stop Americans from spreading the virus in large crowds.
Verily is an Alphabet subsidiary based in Mountain View, California.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.
