The global Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic has caused widespread panic and destruction worldwide. At a time when humans in almost all the countries around the world are grappling with the loss of life and economic slump, it is extremely vital to take precautionary measures to overcome the pandemic. Governments in various countries have launched Coronavirus apps that help detect the spread of COVID-19 virus in your city, town, state or country. We have created a list of the best coronavirus apps that are mostly run and maintained directly by the respective government(s) of many countries.
Coronavirus – which causes a fatal respiratory disease, is believed to have first originated in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, in December 2019. Novel coronavirus has so far has inflicted a death toll of 250,000 people globally with over 3.6 Million+ total confirmed cases of infections worldwide. A Covid-19 infected person exhibits pneumonia-like symptoms, including fever, dry cough, sneezing and shortness of breath.
Here is a list of the best coronavirus apps for many countries across the world that provide real-time tracking, treatment, guidelines and precautionary measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. All these apps are available for download on the Play Store and the App store and are recommended by the respective governments of such countries.
10+ Best CoronaVirus Apps for Android and iPhone
1) CovidSafe (Australia)
Developed by the Australian Government Department of Health, CovidSafe is aimed at keeping the community safe from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The app uses the Bluetooth® technology on your smartphone to search for other devices which also have COVIDSafe installed.
Via the CovidSafe app, the smartphone takes note of your contact with other users by securely logging the other user’s reference code on your mobile.
Hence, if you or someone you have come in contact with are diagnosed with COVID-19, the close contact information securely stored in your smartphone is uploaded and used by the Australian state and territory health officials to inform all nearby people who’ve been exposed to the virus. Please note that all the processing of information requires your explicit consent.
2) Covid Watch (U.S.)
Covid Watch was developed in collaboration with Stanford University and is aimed at empowering people to protect themselves and the communities around them without surrendering their privacy. Covid Watch uses Bluetooth signals to detect users when they are in close proximity to each other and anonymously alerts them if they came in contact with someone who is COVID0-19 positive.
A great feature about the Covid Watch app is that no third party, including the United States government, would be able to track who was exposed to the novel coronavirus and by whom.
The app uses an open-source protocol for decentralized Bluetooth contact tracing and privacy-preservation. Covid Watch is one of the best coronavirus apps for those people who are concerned about their privacy protection.
3) Aarogya Setu (India)
Developed and introduced by the Government of India, Aarogya Setu is a mobile application which connects essential health services with the Indian populace in the fight against the novel COVID-19. It is one of the best coronavirus apps for Indian citizens with over 50 Million+ installs on the Play Store already.
Aarogya Setu is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of the Department of Health, Government of India to proactively inform users of the app regarding risks involved, relevant advisories and best practices pertaining to the containment of COVID-19 effectively.
4) NHS Covid-19 (United Kingdom)
Currently being released in the Isle of Wight (and later throughout the U.K) by the NHS or National Health Service of England, the NHS Covid-19 is a contact tracing app that would keep a tab on people’s movements and notify them if they ever came in close contact with infected people.
The app would analyse the patterns of the virus spread and hotspots and also help in relaxing lockdown according to health experts. NHS Covid 19 would seamlessly categorize details based on mobility patterns, demography, and household structures so that the maximum number of people would be allowed to move freely.
5) Coronavírus – SUS (Brazil)
The Ministry of Health of the Brazilian government developed the Coronavírus – SUS app for specifically raising awareness about the Corona Virus amongst Brazilian citizens. Hence, it will certainly not be effective if you are a user from any other country.
The app disseminates information about symptoms of COVID-19, how to prevent, what to do in case of suspicion or infection and lays down guidelines so that citizens can check if the symptoms are compatible with Coronavirus.
It also displays a map that indicates nearby health units that can be useful in case of suspected infection and instructs possibly infected people to visit the nearest basic health unit in their vicinity.
6) TraceTogether (Singapore)
Launched by The Ministry of Health (MOH), Government of Singapore, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, TraceTogether is a contact tracing app that uses Bluetooth signals to determine if you are near another user of the app. The bluetooth proximity data is encrypted and stored only on your smartphone. TraceTogether seeks user consent on the dashboard to upload their data for contact tracing.
Hence, TraceTogether allows the MOH to call you more quickly, provide treatment, or offer guidance if you had close contact with a COVID-19 positive case. TraceTogether is a useful app that protects your family and loved ones so that they don’t come in contact with the novel coronavirus unknowingly.
Plus, TraceTogether helps in supporting healthcare workers by combating the spread of COVID-19 effectively with the partnership of the general population.
7) HaMagen (Israel)
Launched by the Health Ministry of Israel to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 contagion, HaMagen is a contact tracing app that allows users to know if they were in close proximity to anyone diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in the last 15 days.
HaMagen tracks user movements via location technology and all the fetched information is compared with the ministry data to find the location of those people who have been diagnosed. It is one of the best coronavirus apps of its kind available for Israeli citizens.
HaMagen redirects its users to the health ministry website where they can register themselves for self-quarantine if it transpires that they came in contact with an infected person.
8) Corona DatenSpende (Germany)
Corona DatenSpende is a German smartwatch app launched by Germany’s public health authority that collects crucial signs such as body temperature, pulse rate, sleep patterns from users wearing a fitness tracker or smartwatch to monitor the spread of coronavirus.
The app also checks for common Covid-19 symptoms and displays the results on an interactive online map to assist health authorities in taking stock of the situation and find out the hotspots instantly.
9) Kwarantanna Dommova (Poland)
Kwarantanna Dommova or ‘Home Quarantine’ in English, was amongst one of the first coronavirus detection apps for smartphones rolled out in Europe. Launched by the Polish government, this nifty app collects a silo of information, including people’s location and digital photos to combat the pandemic efficiently.
Upon being asked by the officials, people upload their selfies in the app to provide their exact location to the authorities. Kwarantanna Dommova is mandatory for anyone who has developed coronavirus symptoms in Poland.
10) Peduli Lindungi (Indonesia)
Developed by the Communications and Information Ministry, and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry of Indonesia, the Peduli Lindungi app enables users to collect data pertaining to the spread of COVID-19 within their communities and bolster the government’s efforts to track and identify confirmed or suspected cases.
This app cross references data stored on smartphones mobile through Bluetooth and enables an anonymous exchange of identities when a user is in close proximity to another user whose data has already been uploaded to the app.
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Bottom Line: Let’s fight COVID-19 together
Mobile and bluetooth technology has come to the fore as a silver lining in diagnosing affected people, identifying hotspots and getting real-time updates of the COVID-19 pandemic as it spread in several countries around the world.
Albeit there is an issue of data privacy at stake for some apps, most app developers and government ministries are now proactively trying to put mechanisms in place to protect user privacy.
And…that’s a wrap. We will be updating this list of the best coronavirus apps as soon as new ones have been made available by governments across the world. Stay safe.
