WHO to launch COVID-19 app to educate smartphone users about coronavirus

The total number of coronavirus cases around the globe has already crossed the 4.8 lakh mark. As the total number of cases increase, the World Health Organisation is planning to launch an app that will not only give users tips to safeguard themselves against the virus outbreak but also detailed statistics of cases around the world.

According to a report by 9To5 Google, WHO is developing an app for Android, iOS and Web platforms that will provide alerts, news, tips and other information that will keep users updated about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO's COVID-19 app is likely to be called MyHealth app, a source code available on GitHub has revealed. It was originally proposed by a team of volunteer experts called the WHO COVID app Collective.

As per the current roadmap of the app, the group plans to launch the initial version of the app on March 30. And it will have the content provided by WHO's WhatsApp chatbot on Android and iOS along with localised information that is served in the organisation's 6 official languages, that is Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. In addition to that, the app will feature the ability to push notifications in the future.

Additionally, the app could come with "self-triage" tools that would help users diagnose if their symptoms match those of COVID-19.

The publication in its report noted that, WHO, in future, also plans to implement a mechanism that would allow people affected by COVID 19 to share their iPhone or Android smartphone history to the organisation, which in turn would help it to study the spread of the virus. However, there are obvious privacy concerns with this functionality.

WHO is already providing detailed information about the COVID-19 outbreak via its website and its WhatsApp chatbot. A dedicated app would not only help in tackling misinformation around the virus outbreak but it would also help in combating the outbreak by helping people stay safe.