VaccineFinder, the free online service that helps users find COVID-19 vaccine appointments, was originally created for the 2009 swine flu outbreak to help people locate vaccine providers, a March 18 article published in The Verge reports.
It is currently linked to Apple Maps and Facebook's COVID-19 Information Center to direct users to available vaccine appointments. By May 1, the software aims to include information on every COVID-19 vaccine site in the country.
VaccineFinder, which was developed by Boston Children's Hospital in partnership with the CDC, has compiled data nationwide over the past decade. Before being updated, it was used to show people where they could find flu shots, among other vaccines.
"It's going to be an improved, federal version of VaccineFinder," said John Brownstein, PhD, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and founder of VaccineFinder.