COVID-19 is leading the global headlines and the World Health Organization is approaching nations to adopt "early, aggressive measures which can stop transmission and save lives". Apart from isolation and treatment of the infected subjects, the way to deal with the second phase of the contagion incorporates tracing the sources of infections and identifying potential subjects who are likely to be infected in the near future through social contact history by location tracking. Technically, it is possible to track the location of every individual – healthy, at-risk or infected – with the help of their mobile phone, with minimal additional investments or time-to-build. And, of course, USSD as a channel for communication makes the process more inclusive.
Envisaging a Post-2019-nCoV World
THE VALUE PROPOSITION
In the current day scenario, there is no system in place for providing a regular report on location information of the people who are put in quarantine. As a result of this, there is no information on whether people that are placed in quarantine are staying in the same location or moving around. The need of the hour, therefore, is a solution that can monitor the location of the quarantined individuals on a regular basis and generate reports on changes in the location.
THE SOLUTION
The solution monitors the location of the individuals under quarantine on a regular basis. Application tracks the change in location for quarantined individuals and can be reported to government officials.
The COVID-19 tracking system
THE VALUE PROPOSITION
This solution is aimed at sharing information
pertaining to infected individuals and/or
quarantined with those located in the same
cell identity.
To achieve this, all subscribers will receive a
broadcast message to register their health
vitals via USSD or IVR channels.
This information will be shared with the
COVID-19 tracking system, which will run
analytics to:
Determine if the user has changed their location
Monitor the individuals' health condition
SMS alerts will be sent to registered
subscribers, mentioning the USSD and IVR
codes for recording health-related vitals
periodically.
THE SOLUTION
The COVID-19 Tracking System shares the
infected individual's information, along with
the type of handset to the COVID Messaging
and Monitoring System (CMMS). The CMMS
tracks the location of the user periodically and
then does cell broadcasting of the message
to all the users in that same location to avoid
further spread.
The message would contain information on how
individuals in the same area can register on the
tracking system to update their health vitals.
The cell broadcast will contain the details of
USSD code and IVR long code which would
allow customers to register their vitals.
This solution will help understand the density
of infections in real time in different locations
and also create awareness among individuals
staying in that locality to restrict movement
and be cautious when the infection rate is
high in the locality.
In sum, with the objective to “flatten the curve”,
many disruptions are taking place and
coronavirus will likely shape the nature of
communication in the future. This is a challenge,
as well as an opportunity to utilize our resources
for the greater good. Above all, it is imperative
to demonstrate compassion and empathy in
every communication and in every action.