Smartphone apps are playing a big role in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. These apps are being used to do initial self-assessments, track infected people, issue self-quarantine guidelines, monitor quarantine conditions, provide latest communication to the citizens and ease the burden on healthcare staff.
Here is a list of features of different applications available to help us fight against Corona :
Aarogya Setu- A government of India initiative this app has gained more than 100 million downloads. This app warns a user if they come in proximity of someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, and also provides tips on prevention. The app primarily uses location data generated via GPS, Bluetooth and a user’s phone number to trace the places the user has been to. This information is then cross-referenced with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) database where positive cases have been reported. Whenever there’s a match in location data, the user gets a prompt. As we get into Lockdown 4.0, companies are planning to us this app as a way to check the safety of their work environment and support their staff. The application is available for both android and iPhone users.
Safe Seniors- This application by RPG Life Sciences is designed for senior citizens to help early identification of COVIDD 19 risk. It has been developed in consultation with the leading experts in the areas of infectious diseases, community medicine, clinical pharmacology and Covid-19 management. The application helps senior citizens but it also maintains the profile for the entire family. It requires the senior citizens or family members to enter their vital parameters, pre-existing medical conditions, travel and social exposure history and key symptoms such as fever, dry cough etc. on a daily basis. The app monitors the health of senior citizen and their family members on a progressive basis. The unique feature about this monitoring tool is that it gathers information and tracks the progress over a period of time from the onset of symptom to over 17 days.
Quarantine Watch- This application has been designed by the revenue department of Karnataka and is mandatory for the people in home quarantine. This helps Karnataka government to monitor user’s daily status including their health, location and confirmation whether they are following the quarantine norms appropriately or not. It is mandatory for the users to update their details everyday including every hour selfie between 7AM to 10 PM.
SMC COVID-19 Tracker- Surat Municipal Corporation has come up with this application to track home quarantine conditions in Surat. Users have to tap a button on the app every hour to notify their location. This is helping the legal agencies to keep a track of movement of its users. Similar applications like Mahakavach in Maharashtra, Corona Mukt himachal in Himachal Pradesh, COVID-19 Quarantine Monitor in Tamil Nadu has been developed by the state agencies to monitor home quarantine conditions in their state.
WHO COVID 19- The application was launched on March 30th to reach out to people globally regarding the preventive measures required against COVID-19 and also undergo self-screening of the symptoms. In the WHO COVID-19 app, user can also find the latest information on the number of global cases and related deaths reported to the World Health Organization. More importantly, the app also includes a prominent link to donate to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO.
CG Covid-19 ePass– In Chhattisgarh, the government uses this application to streamline the application process of e Passes for essential needs. Users can apply for movement passes, get its verification done and also reach out to district level helpline numbers. Link – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allsoft.corona
This pandemic requires us to follow the restrictions like maintain social distancing, self-isolation, use of masks, sanitizers, etc. and also to follow latest guidelines of the government. These applications can be a good way to ease our work and keep us updated with the current scenario, be informed with the latest guidelines and also track the infected patients and monitor home quarantine conditions.
Samvedna Senior Care is an elderly care centre that specializes in eldercare services and home care services for the elderly. During the COVID19 crisis our team of psychologists and social workers is working diligently to ensure the physical and emotional health of the elderly remotely and providing help online for senior care in India. We provide services for elderly mental health through our counselling services. We also support caregivers taking care of elderly with dependency and chronic ailments. Reach out to Samvedna Senior Care for any help you need in coping with the COVID19 situation.