SA’s fight against Covid-19 receives a new digital boost

A United Nations agency has gone live with a new Covid-19 self-diagnostic application and predictive modelling dashboard, a digital tool to both help South Africans self-assess their Covid-19 symptoms, and aid government efforts to pinpoint virus hotspots.

This project is the product of a coalition between the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the Global Surgery Foundation, the Rali and Makentse Mampeule Foundation, the University of Cape Town Division of Global Surgery and Slalom – a Global Technology Company.

In its role of assisting authorities to identify communities with a high prevalence of Covid-19 symptoms, the dashboard will facilitate subsequent targeted testing and treatment interventions.

In short, this will allow the Department of Health to: 

• Control the spread of Covid-19 via focused identification and testing;
• Predict new in-country spread for early interventions;
• Identify “safe zones” in which the economy can be kick-started.

The Application, which is designed specifically for South African users, requires low data usage and is available in various languages.

The launch comes as the World Health Organization warns that the death toll on the African continent could reach 190 000 and that transmission patterns will follow a course different from that seen on other continents.

Recent recommendations by South Africa’s leading infectious diseases professionals advise the adoption of “self-reporting of symptoms via an app-based programme on mobile phones”.

This voluntary, self-diagnostic tool collects data that is fully anonymous, allows users to assess symptoms and guides them to the next course of action and identifies potential hotspots and communities at risk.

Following the South African launch, the application will be rolled out to other African countries in the upcoming months.

This application will also allow health workers to identify areas of high risk, especially where testing is limited, to aid in saving lives and preventing the further spread of the disease.

The Application has the following features:

• Provides an easy, low-data self-assessment tool that will help identify communities that are home to a high number of people with Covid-19 symptoms. Testing and treatment can then be appropriately implemented.
• Assists individuals with self-diagnosis, allowing them to make an informed decision to seek further health care.
• Allows healthcare providers to utilise limited medical resources more effectively.

The web application can be accessed free of charge by clicking here.

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