‘Mobile App’ for Better Contact Tracing of COVID Patients

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  • IUCAA mobile app to help detect comorbid COVID-19 patients faster.
  • The app,Vayashree Lite, allows instant alerts in case of any issues on parameters entered pertaining to comorbid patients.
  • The app allows faster collection of vital data such as temperature and oxygen levels on surveyors’ android phones.

A cellphone app developed by the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics would be used in the city from Tuesday for early detection of comorbid COVID-19 patients and quick intervention, reports Times of India.

Instant alert

Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao said that the surveyors would use the app — capable of alerting all senior civic officials in case of any exigency — during the daily surveillance of houses.

The senior officials would instantly receive an alert through the app — Vayashree Lite — in case of any issues on parameters entered pertaining to comorbid patients, he said.

Rao told TOI, “Faster detection and treatment is the main use of this app.” He said earlier the surveyors had to take down notes after surveying each house and make the entries officially after returning to office, which was a time-consuming process.

IUCAA app for better contact tracing

Now, the app developed by the IUCAA would enable the surveyors enter the parameters every alternate day. If there is any change in parameters, the senior officials will receive an alert and action can be taken immediately.

IUCAA director Somak Raychaudhary said as a part of the Pune Knowledge Cluster initiative, they had been interacting with the administration and the COVID task force.

In a meeting concerning data management and visualisation, we suggested that we can develop a simple phone app for door-to-door survey, which will ensure better contact tracing. The teams will benefit from it as will be able to directly send the data collected to the server with just one click instead of writing on paper first and then entering data later,” he said.

Efficient virus related surveys

The public outreach officer at IUCAA and team leader Samir Dhurde, who helped in designing the app, said it would make the COVID-related surveys more efficient.

  • The customised app has been named ‘Vayashree Lite’.
  • It has been developed in a week for the Pune Minicipal Corporation (PMC) surveyors. An online training for all field personnel was conducted on Monday.
  • The app allows faster collection of vital data such as temperature and oxygen levels on surveyors’ android phones and supports their instant uploading on the administration’s servers for further analysis.
  • At present, it would be used in the Pune Municipal Corporation limits only.

The app developers’ team comprised programmers from Namware Software. The institute provided this support as a part of social duty without any charges,” Dhurde added.

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Source: Times of India