The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a global app for countries that have not yet created their own COVID-19 app or do not have the resources to do so. The WHO wants the platform to be ready by the end of the month, according to Reuters.
It will offer information about COVID-19 and probably a Bluetooth-based contact tracing feature and even tracking geolocation. This function must be done in partnership with Apple and Google, an official told Reuters on Friday. The big techs are developing a decentralized system that keeps data anonymous for location.
According to Bernardo Mariano, chief information officer for the WHO, the app will ask people about their symptoms and offer guidance on whether they may have COVID-19, the potentially lethal illness caused by the coronavirus. Other information, such as how to get tested, will be personalized according to the user’s country.
In Brazil, half of the states adhered to the heat map created by telecom carriers: 12 states are now ready to use and another 15 are in the queue, according to O Estado de S.Paulo. The platform, made by Claro, Vivo, Tim and Oi, determines the isolation rate of the population.