Windows 10 now has integrated coronavirus tracking

Online coronavirus trackers and maps, which show the spread of Covid-19 globally, are booming in popularity for obvious reasons, and Microsoft has now integrated this capability directly into Windows 10 search.

As spotted by HTNovo, when you click in the search box now in Windows 10, there’s a ‘What’s happening’ section which presents links to the latest updates on coronavirus, including recent news headlines, and the ability to track the outbreak on an interactive map.

The latter links through to Bing’s interactive map to be specific, where Covid-19 hotspots are shown as red circles, and there are breakdowns of the number of those infected with coronavirus, as well as statistics on recoveries and those who have sadly passed away after becoming infected. Those stats can either be viewed on a global or per-country basis, and links to the latest news stories are integrated into the map, too.

Note that you can get rid of this section in the search panel if you don’t want it – just click on the ‘x’ to dismiss it.

Teaming up

Microsoft is among the many tech companies who are offering certain products or services for free to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak (one of the major side-effects, of course, is the amount of folks now working remotely from home).

In Microsoft’s case, it’s offering a six-month long free trial of the premium tier of Microsoft Teams (with additional features being provided for NHS staff in the UK).

Meanwhile, coronavirus has impacted certain Microsoft products, including major updates of the Edge browser being paused by the software giant, and optional updates for Windows 10 will also be halted from May onwards (important security updates are still being provided, though, as you’d expect).

Via MSPoweruser

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