Now, get latest information on coronavirus via 'WHO COVID-19' app
As rumors continue to grow around the novel coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization has launched a new 'WHO COVID-19' app. The platform provides verified information about the potentially deadly disease, making it easier for people to protect themselves while staying indoors and maintaining social distance from their peers. Here's all you need to know about it.
Get news alerts and precautionary guidance from WHO
Available as part of early access on the Google Play Store, the WHO COVID-19 app offers facts, tips, and alerts about the coronavirus pandemic. Basically, it shows a card-like format that gives all the required guidance around the disease, starting from the latest news from your community to how it spreads, how local transmission can be prevented, and how you can protect yourself.
All questions answered, latest data recorded globally
Along with the latest information, the app in question also carries a dedicated FAQ section, where all common questions, including possible myths, revolving around the pandemic have been answered by the WHO. There is also a separate category where you can see the total number of infections and deaths reported around the world, including data reported by different countries.
No contact tracing features
That said, the WHO app is just an information-based tool at present, something that can help fight misinformation and baseless rumors spreading around the disease. Its original design document did suggest highly-ambitious plans for including a self-triage tool and location history-based contact-tracing capabilities in the same app, but none of the ideas have been materialized just yet.
Also, it is just accessible on Play Store
As of now, the early access version of the WHO COVID-19 app is available only for Android users on the Google Play Store. There is no word on the iOS release of the app or if the company will make any changes to the version that is currently live for a full-fledged roll-out on Android and iOS devices.
