The Coronavirus COVID-19 global cases keep rising along with the death toll. People are not only battling the virus but also misinformation spreading about the disease. A lot of organizations including Google, Microsoft and more have taken steps to ensure the right kind of information is being circulated, educating people about the virus. The government of India has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot that provides relevant information about the virus and you can check out the details of the chatbot here.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is also launching an iOS, Android and Web App to educate people and provide tips in regards to the Coronavirus. Aside from telling you to wash your hands and maintain social distancing, the app will essentially give you the same information found on the WHO WhatsApp Chatbot. According to 9to5Google, the app “was originally proposed by a team of volunteer experts that have formed what they’re calling the “WHO Covid App Collective.” The team consists of former Google and Microsoft employees as well as WHO advisors and ambassadors, along with other industry experts”.
According to the source, the WHO MyHealth app will offer notifications and information specific to your location. So we can expect some India specific information to come via the app. The app is also expected to have “self-triage” tools to help diagnose whether the symptoms you have match those of COVID-19.
According to 9to5Google, “On an even grander scale, there are ambitions for those who have been directly affected by COVID-19 to offer the WHO with their Android or iPhone location history in an effort to perform “contact tracing,” to better understand the spread of the virus. However, given the obvious privacy concerns with sharing in-depth location history, it remains to be seen whether this feature will actually launch.”
Because of the global pandemic of COVID-19, a lot of technology events like Microsoft Build, GDC, MWC, Google I/O and many more have been cancelled. You can check out the complete list of cancelled events here. A lot of telecom and broadband operators like Reliance, MTNL, BSNL and more are doing their part to ensure that those working from home in this time of crisis can do so effectively and efficiently.