While it’s important to remain socially distant, there’s no stopping our joining of hands to #CombatCOVID.
The FireCheck Project team and the University of the Philippines Cebu have developed CoVcheck, a web-based application that allows the local government to collect data from its constituents about cases or potential cases of infection. By doing so, the concerned agencies – health units, disaster management offices among others, may be able to respond to the community’s needs as soon as necessary. On top of that, with the collected data, the local government can plan and execute localized, ad hoc measures to control or contain transmission or support the affected communities. The application shall also serve as a hub for disseminating information to concerned communities and several other future interactions with response units.
The platform includes the following functions:
1. Reporting of Potential Infection (Self or others) —
The residents will have a way of reporting to the local government if they, a relative or a neighbor, are potentially infected by COVID19. By doing so, the local government will have an overview of the potential mass of infection and identify mitigating actions to reduce risk or mobility in certain locations. In addition, the immediate response through medication or other means may be designated whenever and wherever it will be needed. By default, residents are encouraged to stay in their homes. With the need to go to designated hospitals in the city center for testing and/or medical consultation, the potential for transmission is increased.
2. Self-assessment —
Users will be able to assess themselves if they already need medical attention or not. This function hopes to reduce the number of patients who unnecessarily go to the hospitals to be checked. The risk of getting infected or infecting others may be reduced.
3. Announcements and Help Guides —
There is a proliferation of misinformation in social media about how to manage or respond to the disease. The application will provide the user sources of curated information and helpful guidance about what to do amid the health crisis. Important announcements from the local government can also be coursed through the application.
4. Viewing of Reports (Summary and Details) —
The local government and concerned agencies will be provided with detailed and summarized views of the collected data in real-time using heat maps, graphs or similar reports. Similarly, the concerned agencies will be alerted if severe cases are reported. The details of persons of interest can also be viewed.
Other users can also view the summary of validated data so that they can refrain from getting infected or impose house quarantine in their household. It is envisioned that with critical masses projected in the reports, the local government can direct their mitigation efforts in those areas.
5. Management of Self-Reports (Update, Delete or Respond) —
The local government will be allowed to retrieve and update the reports collected such as when the status of the constituent progresses or a specific response has been activated.
We are exerting as much effort in leveraging data science — as we did in Metro Cebu on tackling urban fires, and in Naga City, Cebu during the landslide operations in the year 2018 — to aid our local government in coming up with smarter, targeted and well-informed decisions in managing the health crisis.
Ania na ang CoVcheck, Sugbo! CoVcheck web app is now live at: https://covcheck.upcebu.edu.ph/