Verily is Google’s healthcare brand and it has launched a website that will help adults in northern California determine whether they need a test for coronavirus. The “triage” pilot is available in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County. It will ask users questions about their recent health and travel and if it feels that you need one, it will help you get a free test.
This site is the first phase of Alphabet’s bid to assist the US government in managing the coronavirus outbreak. The tech giant had already said that it was working on a “nationwide website” that will provide information about COVID-19 symptoms, risks and testing info. They made an announcement after President Trump revealed joint plans ahead of schedule.
It looks like there is some confusion over the way the Verily site should be used though. People already showing symptoms of the virus are asked to seek medical advice, rather than a test through the platform. So the screening tool will only trigger if users answer “no” to having symptoms, which has led some to conclude the site is working incorrectly. However, it’s no surprise that a program rolled out so quickly is already surrounded by confusion, while people are confused about the virus itself.
A statement on the site reads, “We are working to rapidly expand testing in every way that we can; please check back soon as we add more testing sites and may expand eligibility criteria.”
Source Engadget