We are in the midst of an unforeseen public health emergency. The Novel Coronavirus cases are spiking up in India as we speak and to tackle the situation, the Indian government has invoked the Epidemic Diseases Act and put the nation under a 21-day lockdown even as it ramps up hospital infrastructure and make test kits more widely available. But is the lockdown really working in flattening the curve? Amidst all the guidelines and directives that are coming from the government, there are also a few apps and websites that are keeping people informed about the latest updates and even if they have come in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19. Let’s take a look —
There are bunch of websites that are updating the rise in cases, recoveries and deaths and representing the situation in graphs, charts and more. Some are relying on official data from the government while some are making use crowd-sourced information to keep the public updated.
This tracker is now highly popular among the people. The admins keep it updated almost every hour with new information. It’s a volunteer driven initiative which uses state bulletins and official handles to update the numbers. The data is further validated by a group of volunteers and maintained in a publicly available spreadsheet and an API.
Furthermore, the tracker sometimes shows more cases than the official number. The reason for that, according to the FAQ on the website is that the MoHW numbers are updated at a specified time once a day.
An interesting and unique aspect of this tracker is its spread charts which shows how the virus is spreading from one person to the other.
This is an official COVID-19 tracker maintained by the Government of India. Like other trackers, this also provides real-time updates on COVID-19 cases in the country and breaks down the data into states and union territories. The website also provides helpful links for preventive measures along with details about the ongoing lockdown in the country.
This is also available as an app for Android and iOS users.
Built by a few students in Goa last months, the unique aspect of this tracker is that shows the distance from the nearest COVID-19 confirmed case in India. Apart from that, this is an easy to use website to keep a track of new cases, recoveries and deaths. You can also see the rate at which infections are rising, as well as a state-wise division of active and confirmed cases.
Trackers are a good way to keep yourself informed, but there are apps that will inform you if you have come in close range of a person who has tested tested positive for COVID-19, along with maintaining logs about yourself.
The app has been developed by the National Informatics Center under MeitY and relies on your smartphone’s Bluetooth and location services to determine if you have come in contact with an infected person.
The app updates itself based on the level of risk you may be at. If there’s no risk, there’s option for self-assessment via a chatbot that lets you log any COVID-19 symptoms you may be experiencing. If you are at risk though, you have the option to call the helpline and schedule a test for COVID-19.
Apart from that, it also carries regular updates from MoHW and offers a bunch of helpful links.
This is an app launched by a face recognition startup called FaceTagR which became popular among police forces trying to tackle Anti-CAA protests in the country. The app is basically for those who have been asked to quarantine themselves at home by the government. People with travel history, or who may have come in contact with infected persons. The app makes sure people quarantined are within their stipulated location, and can communicate directly with the authorities.
Testing and tracking apps from various state governments
Apart from this, many state governments have launched apps for residents in their respective states that help them report about possible cases and to find out if a COVID-19 positive patient is nearby. There are apps from state governments of Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala and more.