Waze features new keywords to quickly search for Coronavirus (Covid-19) medical facilities

MANILA: Technology is a useful tool against the coronavirus. Inevitably, technology companies around the world are upgrading their products with applications and features expressly designed to combat the outbreak of Covid-19.

In this case, Google recently updated Waze in specific markets. The update included a new option that aids private vehicle drivers to reach the nearest hospitals treating Covid-19-infected patients.

Waze is an interactive digital map with user feedback. It works closely with national governments and transport authorities for the decrease in traffic congestion in numerous countries like the Philippines. It utilizes community reports to produce traffic data and identify the fastest and most convenient route to a user-defined site.

Waze is among the most common navigation applications (apps) at the moment; not just on Android, but also on iOS. Thus, several drivers frequently use it behind the steering wheel on Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It is also considered as one of the alternatives to Google Maps and Apple Maps.

Recently, Waze introduced keywords like "Covid," "coronavirus," and "corona hospital" to help guide users to medical facilities and hospitals capable of treating Covid-19 patients in a particular city or area.

As of now, this Waze feature is available in Indonesia. Google has not yet confirmed release dates for other countries but is working out this feature for global car industries in other Asian countries like the Philippines, where private vehicles and delivery services widely use Waze for navigation to get to their exact destination.

Waze gives navigation directions to aid drivers in reaching the hospital in the most effective way possible. It also stores updated road closure information. Waze is useful, especially in the Philippines, due to the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and the need for frontliners owning private vehicles to get to their workplaces immediately.

At this point, there are more than 360,000 confirmed cases of infection worldwide. The nations with the highest number of Covid-19 patients are China, Italy, South Korea, and the United States.

According to Waze Indonesia country manager Marlin R. Siahaan, the app is dedicated to assisting drivers in staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. This commitment of Waze can be observed through the delivery of correct and up-to-date information on medical facilities, hospitals, treatment centers, and road closures due to social distancing measures.

When Waze users experience nausea, sore throat, dry cough, exhaustion or breathlessness, Marlin urges them to seek medical attention immediately. They can search for nearby hospitals through Waze for them to have a medical check-up and immediate treatment as soon as possible.

In the Philippines, there are 11 hospitals in Metro Manila where coronavirus-positive and suspected patients are confined and monitored. These hospitals can be searched on Waze as well for users to know which among these are reachable from their respective communities.