A free app that checks and records symptoms of coronavirus for residents of Amsterdam has already detected 2,849 potential cases. The app has been used over a million times in the past two weeks.
OLVG corona check was developed by Onze Lieve Vrouwen Gasthuis (OLVG) hospital and Amsterdam tech company Luscii. It provides online help tracking and assessing complaints that could point to coronavirus. 64,000 people have downloaded the app already, and 52,000 have been regularly using the app.
Users monitor any symptoms on a daily basis by recording answers to a number of questions: do they have a sore throat? A fever? A cold? Shortness of breath? A cough?
From there, a hospital medical team then assesses whether care is needed. Hospital staff contact at-risk users by phone or WhatsApp within 24-hours.
Twee weken na lancering OLVG Corona check zijn er 52.000 actieve gebruikers; zijn 21.290 telefoongesprekken gevoerd; is bij 2849 personen op basis vd richtlijnen een #COVID19 verdenking gesteld waarvoor quarantaine advies; 35 zijn doorverwezen naar SEH. https://t.co/CeWyCk8ltu pic.twitter.com/XUYECp6Bv7
— Maurice vd Bosch (@MauricevdBosch) March 30, 2020
The app could help the Amsterdam healthcare system avoid unnecessary stress. So far it’s been so successful that other Dutch hospitals plan to use it. Already, UMC Utrecht has made the app accessible to Utrechters.
How can I get the app?
Currently, the app is only accessible to people in certain postcodes. Residents of greater Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Zaanstad and Almere can register via this link. Utrechters must head to this website.
The app could soon be available to up to 4.7 million people. However, the hospital maintains that the app does not replace regular or emergency care.
Would you use an app like this? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!