New Israeli app to notify users of potential coronavirus exposure - The Jerusalem Post
The app is already available on Android and will soon be rolled out for iPhones. However, it does not work retroactively, so it is important that users download it as soon as possible.
The Track Virus app allows users to see if they had crossed paths with any confirmed coronavirus cases.
(photo credit: UNITED HATZALAH)
A new app developed in Israel in partnership with United Hatzalah will alert users if they have been in proximity with a confirmed
coronaviruspatient.
The app, called Track Virus, works by tracking the user's location since it was downloaded, crosschecking their path with those of confirmed coronavirus cases through the use of data listed by the Health Ministry. Users will receive a notification should they have been near a case.
All information gathered in the app is stored anonymously on each phone and is not gathered into a cloud storage system. No identification is needed for downloading the app.
The app is already available on Android and will soon be rolled out for iPhones. However, it does not work retroactively, so it is important that users download it as soon as possible.
“As the number of coronavirus patients rises the harder it becomes for the public to keep track of all the different places that they have all been and the updates from the Health Ministry. Additionally, people often have a hard time recalling exactly where they have been and when,” United Hatzalah of Israel's vice president of operations Dov Maisel explained in a statement. “The app solves both of these problems.
“The app is updated in real-time whenever the Health Ministry issues notification regarding the whereabouts of a person confirmed to be a carrier of the virus. It crosschecks all the paths of the diagnosed patients with the whereabouts of the user. If the user has been to any of the locations identified by the Health Ministry, then the user will receive a specialized notification from the app. The user will then know that they are in danger of having been exposed to the virus and can act accordingly.”
“We are very excited that a large organization such as United Hatzalah has partnered with us in tracking and hopefully stopping the spread of the coronavirus by using advanced smartphone technology,” the app's creator Uri Feldman said. “Starting on Sunday, tens of thousands of users will receive the necessary information regarding the whereabouts of confirmed coronavirus carriers faster, in a more up-to-date manner and with more accuracy.”
The app can be downloaded on the Google Play store or on United Hatzalah's website.
The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China, but has since spread all over the world, infecting well over 100,000 people and killing thousands. Israel has close to 200 cases at the time of writing, with tens of thousands of people in quarantine.
In an effort to keep track of the number of domestic cases, the Health Ministry compiled different data together into a
map, which shows where coronavirus exposures have been recorded, as well as which flights, if any, that infected passengers have traveled on.
Tzvi Joffre contributed to this reprort.
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