Applications and various programs for smartphones have long served as a kind of help for people in each area of life. For example, you can use them to communicate, get to know each other, order food, things and services, pay for them, learn, take tests or manage the entire ecosystem of devices in your home. Therefore, it would be strange that in a world where most people on the planet do not imagine their lives without smartphones at all, humans will not use these innovations to fight the new virus that continues to spread around the earth.
What kind of developments do advanced countries have in the world?
Let’s start with China.
Not surprisingly, it was China’s specialists (in support of several government agencies and ministries) who were among the first to develop such innovations. Now there are about ten applications for the fight against coronavirus. In particular, the app to check possible contact with infected people (YiKuang) was launched in February. The essence of the application is that anyone concerned about the possibility of infection can check whether there have been recorded cases of the disease in his or her home, driveway, plane or bus that he or she travelled in the last 14 days.
The function can be accessed using a unique QR code. To register, you need to specify your mobile phone number and undergo identity verification by entering your real name and identity card number. A foreigner will not be able to register with his or her documents because the system accepts only the ID of Chinese citizens.
The application also contains information on the most frequent places of coronavirus infection, as well as areas of mass congestion (so that users can avoid them).
To develop this function, various programs and trackers have been used that show geolocation. QuantUrban and WeChat have developed a platform that uses information from official sources and marks on real maps places and entire areas directly related to the increased risk of new coronavirus infection (based on officially confirmed cases of disease).
If a user uses a mode to broadcast their geodata, the application can warn of the proximity of the virus. Geographically, the app covers the southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou and nine other cities in the province. Volunteers help update the map as the Government publishes new data daily.
Let’s move on to Israel, one of the most innovative country.
Using data from the mobile network, the country’s authorities monitor the movement of citizens with confirmed diseases and their contacts with other people. The Israel Ministry of Defense is also working with the Vocalis Health start-up company to develop a mobile application that will help identify coronavirus symptoms by the human voice.
Vocalis Health was formed after the merger of two companies: Beyond Verbal and Healthymize. These companies have joined forces to use the human voice as a revolutionary tool for the healthcare industry.
The Vocalis Health algorithm uses artificial intelligence (AI) to determine a patient’s condition according to voice markers for different diseases.
In the fight against coronavirus, Vocalis Health, commissioned by the Israel Defense Ministry, is developing a mobile application that uses the same algorithm to detect symptoms of coronavirus.
What about the Great Britan?
The COVID Symptom Tracker application was designed to help British professionals track the spread of coronavirus, as well as to orientate which citizens are at risk of infection.
British researchers recently launched COVID Symptom Tracker, a free program that asks users to fill in data including age, sex, even zip code, and to answer questions about chronic diseases such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes.
The application then asks anyone who has provided information to give a maximum of one minute each day to report how they are feeling. If the user does not feel healthy, it will be necessary to answer some more questions about symptoms (both physical and moral health).
Thus, the country’s specialists have created an early warning radar device, which, according to them, in addition to the geographical spread of the disease can indicate more accurate symptoms (because many patients have different symptoms).
Singapore. TraceTogether is a mobile application for monitoring the spread of coronavirus infection in Singapore. The app, using tracking tools (which are at the disposal of the authorities of the country), tracks people who are at risk of infection.
In particular, thanks to Bluetooth, the program can calculate the proximity of people to each other, warning users about their interlocutors. If the program understands that the user has already communicated with persons whose case is confirmed, the data on the location and addresses of the user will be sent to the authorities, which in turn should send a citizen test system to check the presence of COVID-19.
The developers note that it was thanks to the application that the country was able to prevent quarantine (schools, institutions are still operating, although the state borders are closed). It is also worth noting that twice a day, the Singaporean authorities, with the help of WhatsApp, inform citizens about the number of cases in the country, the places with the highest infection rate and advice on preventing incidents.
Taiwan. Specialists of the country have developed a particular device that can track the mobile signal of people who are at home in quarantine. In case a citizen turns off the phone or leaves the house, the device will automatically report the violation to the police. It will not be possible to leave the phone at home either, as they may call for an inspection. In case of a violation, the police will get to the house in 15 minutes.
South Korea. The country has also developed a unique GPS that helps users track where people are most concentrated, as well as places visited by Coronavirus patients.
What’s in Ukraine?
Ukraine has launched a mobile application to monitor compliance with self-isolation and surveillance. Its non-use will be equated to a violation of the regime and will entail fines. During the day during 14 days, a person will receive up to 10 push-notifications. You will need to take your photo and geolocation will be activated while taking the picture. If the quarantine regime is violated and the failure to use the application is primarily a quarantine violation, there are already certain regulated fines.
Final thoughts
As we can see, the world is already armed with new applications and technologies to combat COVID-19. Already online, we can determine if a person is sick, measure their temperature, track their movements and identify people for immediate hospitalization. The world is ready to confront the virus. So is Ukraine.
We insist you stay home and do not go out without needing. Take care and wash your hands with soap.
