COVID-19 Tracker App Needed To Stem Spread – Ursula Owusu

Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful says the newly launched Ghana COVID-19 tracker will boost the country’s fight against the pandemic by providing accurate data to curb the spread of the virus.

She says the tracker has been designed to quicken the contact tracing efforts and also to discover information that may be difficult to gather through the manual process.

Speaking at the launch of the tracker in Accra, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful noted that, the government is committed to using innovative technology in its quest to combat the pandemic.

“Experience has shown that one way to combat this pandemic is through technology-experience from those who suffered its effects before we did. The Ghana COVID-19 tracker is one of the tools being used by the government of Ghana to respond to the pandemic and help keep all of us safe. We need accurate data to know where the virus is and is heading towards to be able to fight it swiftly and in the most efficient way possible just as has been done by some affected countries around the world. The app seeks everybody’s assistance through crowdsourcing data to collect as much possible information to assist the Ghana Health Service quickly identify persons or groups of individuals at high risk of being positive for COVID-19 which may otherwise not be discovered through the traditional and manual sources of data collection. The information collected from the app will help us prioritize health services that are already overburden steering them onto the right high-risk areas as early as possible.”

Privacy

The Minister quickly added that the privacy and confidentiality of data information remain and such, the tracker will not make use of personal identification information.

“Let me reiterate the fact that the systems’ data is encrypted such that no personal information – name, ID or address is recorded on the platform. We are mindful of the privacy of the potential victims and that of all of us,” she said.

Further Assistance

Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said the tracker is intended to provide assistance which will augment the state’s efforts in the fight against the global pandemic.

“The Covid-19 App tracker is an easy to use digital tool that is designed to help people self-report their systems and assess their health symptoms for Covid-19 risk, ” he said.

He said the approach of the government in responding to Covid-19 has been backed by science, adding that the information the tracker will be providing will help in taking the right decisions.

“The launch is therefore yet another important step by the government to leapfrog using technology to find solutions to the havoc, ” he said.

The Vice President further noted that the tracker can locate individuals who attend the same function or were in a particular country within a certain period as part of measures towards the enhanced contact tracing exercise to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“Accessible as a browser-based app, the COVID-19 Tracker will allow persons to self-report symptoms without needing to visit a healthcare facility and thereby aiding in social distancing,” he said.

About The COVID-19 Tracker App

The App will help track telephone numbers of people who have recently been to certain countries around the world. The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) will use the information to determine who to provide an extra layer of screening.

The App will also help in checking for COVID-19 symptoms and pertinent risk factors. It will also answer COVID-19 questions as well as provide digital assistance.