Google has pledged more than $150m to helping public health organisations promote coronavirus vaccine education and equitable access as part of an initiative that involves opening up its own facilities as vaccination clinics.

The tech giant’s investment includes an additional $100m in ad grants for the CDC Foundation, the World Health Organization, and other non-profits. $50m will be invested into partnerships with public health agencies to reach underserved communities with vaccine-related information, while Google.org has promised $5m in grants to organisations addressing racial and geographic disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations.

Google has also taken steps to expand its information panels on Search to help provide more accurate and timely information on vaccines. So, far, it has expanded the panels to more than 40 countries and will roll out to more nations over the next week. And people will soon be able to see state and regional distribution information on Search, alongside the launch of a ‘Get The Facts’ initiative across Google and YouTube.

In the US initially, Google will add vaccination locations to Search and Maps, with the feature rolling out in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in the coming weeks before being introduced to more states and countries.

Finally, starting in the US, Google will make select facilities available for use as vaccination centres. Currently, its partnering with One Medical and public health authorities to open sites in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in California; Kirkland, Washington; and New York City.