Google Flu Shot Locator Shows Where To Get Vaccines Near You!

Looking for where to get a seasonal flu shot or that hard-to-find vaccine against H1N1 swine flu? Google has a new flu shot locator that can help.

When the locator loads, you many need to manually enter your location. Do so using the “Change Location” option:

After doing your search, a red needle icon shows where to get regular seasonal flu shots, a blue needle for the H1N1 vaccine or colored both ways if both are offered at a particular location (so many needles — don’t let your kids see this map before you go!):

Click on any of the icons, and you’ll be shown more information about that location:

A list along the left-hand side of the map also gives more details about a particular place and reflects all the locations on the map. Many of these are pharmacies, but Google says more locations will be added:

We’ve been working with HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health agencies to gather information on flu vaccine locations across the country, particularly for the H1N1 flu vaccine (both the nasal-spray vaccine and the shot). At the moment we have data for locations of flu vaccine directly from 20 states and counting. We are also continuing to add information from chain pharmacies and other providers in all 50 states; today, you’ll find results from chains such as Walgreens, CVS and PDX participants, such as Kmart, Duane Reade, WinnDixie and Giant Eagle.

Unfortunately, you can’t tell at-a-glance if a particular location is out of stock on flu vaccine. For example, in the map above, you can see H1N1 is said to be available near Fountain Valley. But according to the list, it’s out of stock:

It would be nice if the map could also reflect the availability status. Plus, I wish there was a way to share a map tailored to a particular location. Even when you’re signed in to Google and using the My Maps feature, it doesn’t seem possible to save a map for a particular ZIP code. Using the share options also just shares the generic URL, not one that will bring up a location-specific map.

The locator will also soon be added the the Flu.gov site from the US government and the American Lung Association’s flu site.

Google also maintains a Google Flu Trends site designed to help you spot where flu activity may be peaking.