EPIDEM: A Technology-Enabled COVID-19 Elimination Strategy

Background: The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly evolved into a global emergency with far-reaching consequences. Multiple models predict mounting morbidity and mortality in the absence of appropriate interventions. Screening of sub-clinical cases through technological tools has the potential to eliminate virus containment in the population. Objective: Our aim was to develop an effective application that detected early COVID-19 infections and resulted in four-dimensional (4-D) data visualization systems to develop safe networks whilst respecting user privacy. Methods: We proposed an algorithm for a novel form of contact tracing and screening that can detect infection before manifestation of clinical symptoms and signs. We developed a simulation model that demonstrated impact on the pandemic through percent change in the “trigger point”. Results: A “trigger point” based on personal risk assessment generated a visual report to the community network. The following outcomes were rendered in the app: live surveillance of metadata, hotspot mapping, targeted live health messaging to a large population, an infection control passport technology, and personal hotspot avoidance warnings. Our model suggested that higher adoption of such strategies can potentially eliminate viral carriage in the population. Conclusions: Our proposed technology-enabled screening, detection, and elimination strategy presents a novel approach to eliminate the viral containment. This app could be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other outbreaks and epidemics in the future to control the unprecedented disease spread.

EPIDEM: A Mobile Application to Contain Coronavirus Disease 2019

With the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, almost 33 million people became sick and almost 1 million have died (WHO). The government of the Philippines, along with the government of other countries declared movement restrictions or lockdown in the attempt to contain the virus. This resulted in loss of job and economic breakdown. The Philippines, in particular, experienced the longest and strictest lockdown. As a down side, a lot of people have lost their jobs and the country is currently facing economic recession. With the aim of containing the virus to reopen the economy, a team of experts developed a mobile application called EPIDEM. The application is available for both Android and Apple smartphones. With the use of EPIDEM, lay people can monitor their infection risk for COVID-19 and isolate themselves or get themselves tested when infection risk is high. Users can also monitor the health risk of other people that they come in contact with, so they can decide if meeting them is safe or risky. Further, the application provides a monitoring map that shows the area that is safe from COVID-19 and area where a possible outbreak might occur. The monitoring map will be helpful to both lay people, so they would know the places to avoid and to government officials, so they can quickly respond to outbreak. The teams of developers are recommending the nationwide implementation of EPIDEM to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The application is not a new strategy of containment. Instead, it’s a better wheel that utilizes advanced technology to execute the manual containment strategies that are already being implemented in the country.