Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health (CWCDH) has released a powerful new tool in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID Shield App empowers users to assess their lung health on a regular basis to identify potential deteriorations early. Making use of only the in-build sound recording features of a smart phone, COVID Shield app and its cloud based algorithms are capable of analyzing the breathing sounds and gather additional data when the user performs several simple tests to determine breathing performance. The app tracks lung health along with other symptoms to support identifying COVID-19 related deterioration early.

In addition to identifying the state of lung health, COVID Shield is also capable of providing the users with alerts based on overall assessment of his or her symptoms. Based on these alerts, the users can take the next step without delaying seeking of medical advice. The users will also receive COVID-19 related health education and latest statistics from reliable sources on his or her dashboard.

COVID Shield however is not only a self-health app. When adopted in a particular country, it can serve as a means of managing quarantine processes and gathering vital information from those who are using the app for public health decision making. Individuals who are using the app may also enroll into a national or regional programme using a simple touch of a button to receive timely medical, psychological and social support based on the self-check-ups carried out on a regular basis. This feature however will not be available unless the COVID Shield System is fully implemented in a particular country. The app also has a rewarding mechanism for those who carry out regular health checks, which may be part of COVID-19 exist strategies where good health behavior becomes vital.

The app was recently introduced in Sri Lanka and will soon be available for free around the globe via both Play Store and the Apple App Store. The CWCDH and its partners offer technical support for any country or agency who wish to adopt COVID Shield in this hour of need. The technology however will not be limited to tackling COVID-19 but would expand further as a platform technology supporting people with various disorders enabling them to keep track of their health through automated self-health checks.

The development of the App took place in Sri Lanka as a collaboration between the CWCDH, Health Informatics Society of Sri Lanka (HISSL), DevUpLink Pvt Ltd and Analogy Partners PLC, contributed to by a voluntary group of medical and software experts representing the health sector, and several industry partners including Dialog Axiata PLC and Innovation Quotient (IQ) Pvt Ltd. CWCDH invites well-wishers to support further development and implementations of the App, which could alleviate the burden on the health services in many parts of the world.

Learn more about COVID Shield here