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An example of where Google's immediate answer just isn't good: "how long does it take to get coronavirus test results" Searching that, Google shows me a giant
by cj 6y ago
An example of where Google's immediate answer just isn't good:
"how long does it take to get coronavirus test results"
Searching that, Google shows me a giant box with a red warning banner that says "COVID-19 alert". The box looks very authoritative, and in the box Google repeats back my question, and then provides an answer: 24 hours.
In the fine print, there's a link to a WebMD article (but when I click through, no where on WebMD does it say 24 hours).
The problem is that the actual turnaround time in my area (upstate new york) is 7-10 days to get results - according to a doctor who my Aunt got a test from yesterday.
This is far from an isolated case of showing bad information to an important question with too much authority.
- Klathmon 6y agoI tried the same thing and the answer was: > It may take a lab about 24 hours to run your test. But you might not get your results for several days. That seems pretty reasonable, and it in no way seems authoritative to me (it sounds like an estimate).
- cj 6y agoYes, if you read it carefully, it says "several days". I think most people searching will see 24 hours, and then click away without analyzing so carefully. Several days is still far off from 7-10 days. The point is, I'd much rather see a link to my county's official Covid-19 testing information site, rather than an arbitrary outdated snippet pulled from a WebMD article. Google's "best guess" answer is often pretty bad.
- jdofaz 6y ago>(but when I click through, no where on WebMD does it say 24 hours). It doesn't show it until you click on "How Long Do Test Results Take?" or View All