Local tech firms popularise information about 2019-nCoV pandemic

The website updates the pandemic data on the real time (A screenshot of the website)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese technology companies such as Appota and Zalo have continuously disseminated information to and warned users of the 2019-nCoV pandemic right on their platforms.

In response to the call issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) for staying united, joining hands, and showing a sense of responsibility, capacity and mandate to use technologies to better deal with social matters, especially in the fight against the outbreak, technology companies in Vietnam have been sparing no efforts to popularise information about the acute respiratory disease caused by the virus 2019-nCoV on their platforms through different forms.

Accordingly, several products update information about the number of coronavirus infections in Vietnam and the world, while some products use artificial intelligence (AI) to find out fake news about the pandemic and others give out forecasts on future infection cases.

Updating real time pandemic data

Recently, Appota has launched a new mobile version of the application ‘Lich Nhu Y’ with a new feature being the real time update and information about the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV.

A representative of Appota said the new feature will help users to get updated information about the pandemic in a simple and easy way by looking at the calendar on their own mobile phones. The information is updated based on the real time with accurate sources cited from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), NHC, DXY and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health.

The mobile version of Lich Nhu Y calendar has a feature capable of updating the real time information about the pandemic (A screenshot of the app)

A website available at https://corona.gen.vn/ is currently updating data on the pandemic based on the real time. Users could get access to the detailed data on the number of infections in Vietnam and other countries across the world. The latest data is updated after every 30 minutes and users could also keep a close watch on the pandemic in Vietnam through the website.

Popularising pandemic prevention skills

Vietnamese social networks have made contributions to pushing back the disease. For example, Zalo has continuously sent recommendations against the pandemic and the latest developments of the disease to users via the Ministry of Health’s account on this social network.

Zalo actively popularises information about the pandemic to users (A screenshot of the app)

Mocha IQ, a feature on the app Mocha, has taken daily themes on the coronavirus pandemic in a bid to popularise knowledge to users and the community. The programme took place at 21:00 every day (from February 3-9) with a cash prize worth 5 million VND (215 USD) per day and up to 10 million VND on Sunday.

Similarly, eDoctor – a startup app on healthcare services – arranges hotlines to clear up questions and provide consultancy for users. It has also hosted livestreams with the participation of doctors and experts to exchange views and talk measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

Preventing fake news

A website called ncov.vn has been launched recently, enabling users to update the latest news on Facebook about the coronavirus outbreak and help them to classify fake news by themselves via the power of the community.

The website ncov.vn creates a tool for the community to classify fake news by themselves (A screenshot of the website)

This is a very practical feature as people are facing a wide range of confusing information on social networks.

Meanwhile, the dashboard project https://public.tableau.com designed by Doan Trung Tung with charts indicating the pandemic indexes such as the daily numbers of recoveries and deaths. The website also gives out estimated figures on the disease for the next five days. The move helps people to keep vigilant during the peak of the pandemic and protect their health.

Dashboard gives out forecasts on the number of infections for the next five days 

The Ministry of Health confirmed two more new coronavirus infection cases on February 6, bringing the total number of detected nCoV patients in the country to 12.

One of the two cases is a 49-year-old female farmer, residing in Son Loi commune, Binh Xuyen district, northern Vinh Phuc province. She is the mother of a 23-year-old female patient who had previously tested positive for the virus.

The other is her 16-year-old daughter and a younger sister of the female patient. 

As both of them had close contact with the infected patient, so they have been closely monitored.

On February 4, local medical workers found that they showed symptoms of cough and tiredness. Both then were taken to the local medical station for quarantine and having samples tested.

The tests by the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology indicated that they were positive for nCoV. They are now in stable health conditions.

The 23-year-old patient was one of eight people who returned from China’s Wuhan city on the same flight. Five of them were infected with the virus, while three others have been quarantined.

The eight Vietnamese people were sent to Wuhan for training by Nihon Plast Co Ltd of Japan and returned to Vietnam on China Southern Airlines fight CZ8315 on January 17./.