News of the Day

Covid tiger cub, named after the coronavirus outbreak, is pictured at the zoo in Cordoba, Veracruz, Mexico. REUTERS/Sofia Dorantes

Corona Kavach, a COVID-19 tracker, has been released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in association with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW). Currently in its beta stage, the app is still a work in progress and crashed more than a few times while we were testing it, and we also had a lot of trouble trying to generate an OTP to log in. 

The goal however, is to use a person’s smartphone data to track their location and alert if they are at risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). As per the official description, the app aims to provide information about coronavirus and capture information. The app is only available for Android right now.

The Corona Kavach is available for download via Google Play Store. It tracks a user’s location in one-hour intervals and tells if they have come in contact with a person tested positive for COVID-19.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that lockdowns, being implemented by several countries to combat COVID-19, will not be enough to eradicate the virus from the world.

“To slow the spread of COVID-19, many countries introduced “lockdown” measures. But on their own, these measures will not extinguish epidemics. We call on all countries to use this time to attack the coronavirus. You have created a 2nd window of opportunity,” Mr  Ghebreyesus said in a daily briefing.

“Asking people to stay at home and shutting down population movement is buying time and reducing the pressure on health systems. But on their own, these measures will not extinguish epidemics,” he added.

“We call on all countries who have introduced so-called lockdown measures, to use this time to attack the virus. You have created a 2nd window of opportunity, the question is how will you use it?” he said.