In a blog post, the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai said COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed at Google’s “buildings, parking lots and open spaces” in a number of major metropolitan areas, including at campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Kirkland, Washington.
The clinics will be set up in accordance with guidance from local officials once enough doses become available. Google said the action was made possible through a partnership with One Medical and public health authorities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected every community all over the world,” Pichai said. “It’s also inspired coordination between public and private sectors, and across international borders, on a remarkable scale. We can’t slow down now.”
Google said it plans to expand the sites nationally over time. The company also pledged $150 million to promote vaccine education and distribution.
"While there is much uncertainty still ahead, the development of multiple safe vaccines in such a short time gives us reason for hope," Pichai wrote in a blog post. "We recognize that getting vaccines to people is a complex problem to solve, and we're committed to doing our part."
Tech companies stepping up
Google isn’t the only tech giant lending a hand in the effort to vaccinate people. Microsoft has also announced that it will allow its campus in Redmond, Washington to be used as a vaccine distribution site.
Amazon has also offered up its facilities, saying in a letter to the Biden administration last week that it’s "prepared to leverage our operations, information technology, and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration's vaccination efforts.” Amazon asked for workers at its fulfillment centers, data centers, and Whole Foods stores to receive vaccines at the “earliest appropriate time.”