Google Denies It's Building A National Coronavirus Testing Website

An example of how misinformation and disinformation can be worse than no information. JL

Brian Fung reports in CNN:

Google will not be publishing a national-scale website for coronavirus testing. A health-focused subsidiary owned by Google’s parent, Alphabet, intends to launch a small-scale website next week to begin to triage California-based patients. “Our aspiration is for the triage tool to be used broadly over time. Initially, we’re linking it with several sites in the Bay Area to test and iterate, and collaborating with organizations who are also working on approaches to making testing more accessible and expedient in other areas.”

Google will not be publishing a national-scale website for coronavirus testing anytime soon, contrary to claims made by President Donald Trump during a Friday news conference.

Instead, a health-focused subsidiary owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, intends to launch a small-scale website next week to begin to triage California-based patients. The website will aim to serve a broader population only “over time” — not “very quickly,” as Trump said.

“What we’re building is a triage tool that will live on ProjectBaseline.com, and we plan to pilot it in California next week,” said Carolyn Wang, a spokesperson for the Alphabet subsidiary, Verily.

“Our aspiration is for the triage tool to be used much more broadly over time. Initially, we’re linking it with several sites in the Bay Area to test and iterate, and collaborating closely with organizations like Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp who are also working on additional approaches to making testing more accessible and expedient in other areas.”

Verily’s statement sharply contrasts with Trump’s remarks Friday in the White House Rose Garden.

“I want to thank Google,” Trump said. “Google is helping to develop a website. It’s going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past, to determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location.”

The comment appeared to be a reference to the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov, the website used for the US government’s health insurance exchange, which was premiered by President Barack Obama’s administration.

CNN has asked the White House for comment.

In addition to saying the website would be developed quickly, Trump claimed that 1,700 Google engineers were working on the project. Vice President Mike Pence later added the administration would be able to provide an update on the timing of the website’s launch by Sunday night.

Meanwhile, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Debbie Birx held up a sign at the news conference that indicated users who showed symptoms would be directed to drive-through clinics. From there, users’ test samples would be shipped to labs, and patients would be able to view their results from a “screening website.”

It was unclear if Birx was referring to the Verily website. Verily did not immediately respond to questions about Birx’s sign, nor to questions about the accuracy of Trump’s claim about the number of employees involved or about Pence’s claim concerning the timing of the launch.