Four National University of Lesotho (NUL) computer science students have created an App that will help the public and ministry of health to trace Covid-patients.
Users can download it and, by answering questions on the App, it will determine whether they are at high risk or low risk having the virus.
One of the inventors, Thabo Maibi told theReporter that the idea was triggered by the devastation that Covid19 is wreaking across the globe.
Maibi and his colleagues hope the App will come in handy when the country eventually records cases of the high contagious disease.
“This is how the App works. Let us assume that everyone in the country has this App. If you test positive for Covid-19, all the people with this App who may have come too close to you in the past 14 days are alerted by their Apps so that they too can test. You can’t use this App unless you have answered certain questions, with the answers immediately seen by health workers (whether you have Covid-19 symptoms or not). You have to answer these questions every three or 14 days, depending on your symptoms.
“With this App, only health officials are able to track your whereabouts and if you seem to have symptoms of Covid-19 but you can’t come to them, they will come to you,” Maibi explained.
He said the App will be accessible to android mobile phone users. As for health workers, there will be a website that will enable them to see the results of people who test and their locations; this way they can track the patients even if he/she cannot come to them.
“Let’s remember that at one time or another we have symptoms of flu which happen to be similar to those of Covid19 symptoms. So if in all your questions you score under 45 you are a low risk. You will have to update your symptoms again after 14 days. If you score between 45 and 75, then you are a moderate risk.
“But the App will now require you to update your symptoms after three days. If you score between 75 and 100, you are a high risk. When you input your symptoms, the App is going to automatically calculate your risk level,” he explained.
Maibi indicated that the App will launch in a week or two. “We are low on data at the moment as we don’t have the means to purchase it. We request Basotho to help us. Our phone number is 50590196.”
