Google Maps' new features help users navigate COVID-19 hotspots as cities reopen

Transit alerts will be rolling out in India along with countries like Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the US.

Moneycontrol News

July 06, 2020 / 14:20 IST

Google Maps has announced new features to assist people in navigating around cities that are emerging from the coronavirus pandemic. The new feature will provide relevant alerts from local transit agencies when users look up transit direction for a trip that is likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions.

Transit alerts will ensure you are prepared if government mandates have an impact on transit services or require you to wear a mask on public transportation. These alerts are already rolling out in India as well as other nations like Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the US where information from local transit agencies are readily available, with more coming soon.

Google Maps will also display alerts reminding users to verify eligibility when navigating to medical facilities or COVID-19 testing centres. The alerts for medical facilities is yet to be made available in India. Through these features, Google Maps will urge you to do some quick research before visiting a medical facility or testing centre so you do not get turned away.

Also Read: Google Maps to alert users about COVID-19-related travel restrictions

Maps is also making it easier to check crowding at train stations. You will also have the option to see live data on crowdedness. Google Maps Product Director Ramesh Nagarajan wrote in a blog post, “Simply search for a station in Google Maps or tap on the station on the map to see the departure board and busyness data, where available.”

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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