Scientists Are Working To Create an App That Predicts Coronavirus
These days, coughing or sneezing in public will get you judged like never before. Any small symptom that could possibly be a regular cold, will most likely have you thinking it could be Coronavirus (and others will assume the same). But, what do you do to put your paranoia at rest, and you go to get tested at a hospital or clinic, but medical professionals tell you there are no test kits available? Should you still go out about your normal life, or self quarantine just in case?
This is where an app comes in handy.
Dr. Arni S.R. Srinivasa Rao, director of the Laboratory for Theory and Mathematical Modeling within the infectious disease program at Augusta University, via EurekaAlert
Dr. Arni S.R. Srinivasa Rao, director of the Laboratory for Theory and Mathematical Modeling within the infectious disease program, has recently developed an algorithm to assess coronavirus risk. The app would work like this:
You would take a survey, which is also paired with artificial intelligence. The survey would ask personal information, including their location, travel and contact history, symptoms, and socio-demographics. Then a mathematical model designed by The Division of Infectious Diseases in the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, would crunch this data and evaluate people’s situations as either being “no risk” or “high risk of infection”.
creation of the algorithm, via Medical Express
Dr. Arno S.R. Srinivasa Rao hopes to build this app immediately, giving people a way to self-assess their symptoms for no charge, and prevent communal spread. This would drastically help contain the spread of this virus to others, which is the smartest way to knock down this virus globally. In the proposal for this app it also states that high risk patients could even be automatically flagged to a local healthcare provider, who could coordinate quarantine or care.
So, is there some sort of timeframe for the availability of this app? Dr. Srinivasa Rao states, “We do not have a version at this second but have been working day and night for the conceptualization,” says Rao. “We are in touch with developers and cloud-based solution providers to make this app & AI system rapidly available for all.”
cover image via The Hill