New app identifies people who need COVID testing

MANILA, Philippines — To help the Department of Health (DOH) and hospitals maximize their resources and prioritize those who require testing and immediate care, students of the Master of Science in Innovation and Business program of the Asian Institute of Management have developed an app that could identify people who need to be tested for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.

Called ENDCoV, the app that is available on Google Play for free allows individuals to participate in the fight against COVID-19 by providing a free assessment of their personal risk status to the disease.

To get the assessment, individuals have to sign up and answer a survey which is then processed using the DOH-approved triage algorithm consistent with the World Health Organization’s latest surveillance definition of the disease.

Based on the responses, the app can identify the health condition of a user and make a recommendation such as going through self-quarantine or testing for COVID-19.

ENDCoV also establishes a confidential directory of persons and journal of places that the user has made contact with for the sole purpose of contact tracing.

In addition, the app, in partnership with relevant government authorities, can provide anonymous mass notifications to persons with whom a COVID-19 positive patient had made prior contact with.

“During our classes, we’ve been studying innovation as a means to improve the lives of people. So we wanted to come up with a solution that would ease the burden of this crisis on Filipinos, more so our tireless health workers,” said Charles De Belen, ENDCoV co-founder.

The app complies with Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Disclosure of Notifiable Diseases Act and RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act, as well as policies issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force and the Office of the President.

Its creators are planning to add more features such as heat maps to show high-risk areas to avoid, a telemedicine feature for online consultations with doctors, and a printable e-copy of the triage results which can be sent directly to hospitals or the DOH.

Android users can now download ENDCoV on Google Play for free, while the app’s launch on App Store will be announced soon.