Apple launched a new app and website to inform the public about COVID-19.
It includes a screening tool to help people figure out if they’ve caught the coronavirus, and the information is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Apple says.
The App was created in partnership with the CDC, the White House Coronavirus Task Force and FEMA “to make it easy for people across the country to get trusted information and guidance at a time when the U.S. is feeling the heavy burden of COVID-19,” according to Apple.
Both the app and website ask users to answer questions to help people figure out if they need to be tested.
For instance, it asks if you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, slurred speed or difficulty waking up. If you say yes to any of these, Apple directs you to call 911. It also provides information about the disease, with suggestions about what you can do and how to get tested.
However, Apple doesn’t offer much guidance there, beyond directing people to call their doctor.
Additionally, the app offers a link to Apple News and various news articles about COVID-19 and offers tips for washing hands, disinfecting surfaces and monitoring symptoms.
Many of the same answers offered in the app can be accessed by asking them to Siri, Apple’s personal assistant. For instance, users of Apple devices can ask Siri, “How do I know if I have coronavirus?” and get three questions posed to them by the personal assistant, along with guidance on what to do if they don’t have fever, a dry cough or trouble breathing.
In a statement, the CDC said the launch was a direct response to the Trump administration’s “call for an all-of-America approach and will help Americans heed CDC guidelines and self-isolate to limit COVID-19 transmission.”
Souce: USATODAY