Google and one of its parent company's subsidiaries have set up a coronavirus site to inform and rate users These are more limited than you might think, and not what the President promised in his recent speech But these tools will certainly help people, and maybe even the entire United States in the coming months

Verily, a life sciences company owned by Google parent company Alphabet, has begun testing a web page that screens for coronaviruses and refers users in the San Francisco area to testing facilities This is part of the company's "Project Baseline" health tracking project (via CNBC and The Verge)

To use the site, users must log in with a Google account and fill out an authorization form that allows the site to share personal information with various public agencies You must also be at least 18 years old, speak English, and be a US resident currently living in San Mateo or Santa Clara County

If the screeners determine that you may be infected with the virus based on your occupation, recent travel, or contact with a confirmed case, you will be directed to a local laboratory for a physical examination, depending on capacity However, if the patient complains of severe cough, fever, shortness of breath, or other major signs of COVID-19 infection, the examination will be terminated and the patient will be directed to see a physician at a location away from the testing site

Verily has plans to expand the site throughout the US, but has not revealed a timeline, as this will depend on the availability of testing kits and sites However, there is speculation that the project may be more intended to survey a wide swath of the US population to determine who may be infected with the virus without physical testing, rather than to serve as a virtual triage service

The Verily project was initially announced prematurely and inaccurately by President Donald Trump at a press conference last Friday There was temporary confusion as to what exactly was announced and who was running it, but Google later made its own announcement The company published a blog post by CEO Sundar Pichai about its plans for a coronavirus information site to try to eradicate coronavirus misinformation

Vice President Mike Pence also mentioned that other tech companies are also working with the US government and that a national diagnostic site like the one proposed by the president could still be created However, specific details are not yet available

The fact that the test results would require a Google account to be attached is a concern from a user data and privacy perspective However, for those who believe they may be at risk, this resource could form a small but important part of the fight against a coronavirus pandemic