There have been a number of COVID-19 apps made locally laready. But Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is adding its own CovidSense to the list, currently under development. The app will allow users to conduct self-screening, as well as having contact-tracing elements.
The app’s developers say that one element that sets the CovidSense app apart from others is that it doesn’t collect and store user information unless provided voluntarily. If provided, the details will only be accessible to the authorities.
CovidSense also allows its users to perform self-screening tests by answering 12 yes-or-no questions related to COVID-19 symptoms. The app will then present the user with a risk-of-infection score. If a user is determined to be at intermediate or high risk, they are then prompted to contact the National Crisis Preparedness and Emergency Response Centre (CPRC).
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The app’s contact tracing element only kicks in once a user is tested positive at a hospital or health centre. During this clinical trial period, authorities will also be able to track all locations visited by a user that has been tested positive. Similarly, CovidSense users will also get a heat map based on the number of positive cases in an area.
The app is currently being tested by researchers from the university’s Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science and Technology. Also involved in the app’s development is Innosens Technology Sdn Bhd. The beta version of the app is currently being tested privately. That being said, the public version will only be released once it gets government approval.
(Source: Bernama)
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