- Are you skeptical about your symptoms? Worry no more because Siri can screen you for coronavirus now!
- Apple has updated its digital assistant in collaboration with the US Public health service and CDC.
As the world falls on its knees and the economy crashes down, the ray of hope in the gloomy days comes from the help coming from all over, especially from the giant technology firms we all so heavily rely upon in our daily lives.
During this pandemic, almost every day, these firms are coming up with methods to ensure public safety and to keep them well-informed.
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, YouTube, and several other companies have come forward in these times to do the right things - spread awareness and provide all sorts of means to combat this fatal virus. Apart from taking necessary steps to ensure the safe and continuous networking for millions of people who are locked down in their homes and have internet alone as their outlet, these firms have taken prompt actions for sharing and spreading the truth, fighting against myths and false propaganda against the coronavirus pandemic and the disease itself.
Now Apple has upped its game by modifying its digital assistant, Siri.
Siri has always aided people with various issues, but now, it can help you with identifying COVID-19 symptoms!
You just need to ask Siri if you have coronavirus disease or not? And it will ask you several questions about the signs and symptoms you show.
Several "yes" and "no” answers can lead you to an early diagnosis.
If you reply in affirmative to questions about fever, dyspnea (difficulty in breathing), the nature of cough, Siri will direct you to call 911.
However, if you are unsure about your symptoms, Siri will help to investigate it further. If you answer "yes" to chest pain, dizziness, or light-headedness along with other symptoms, but you are still unsure, Siri will prompt you to seek immediate medical attention.
Apple updated Siri to help people who ask if they have the #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/IPCrPlsAxf— Orkhan Kerimov (@orkhano) March 23, 2020
But if there are more “no’s” in your answers, Siri will still try to take the cautious route by urging you to stay at home and isolate yourself, take plenty of rest and be vigilant of your symptoms, and in case of worsening, to seek immediate medical help or to contact one of the ten telehealth apps that Apple store has recently added in their list. Siri gives a similar response if your symptoms have not shown up, but you are still worried because you have been in contact with someone tested positive for coronavirus.
Behind Siri, it is the US Public Health Service, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that provides all this assistance.
Despite it being a global crisis, this helpful feature of Apple is only available for the US consumers now. It is currently unknown whether Apple will launch it for other countries soon or not.
But all is not lost for the “non-Apple” users, as Google is also providing this kind of medical aid and information in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
Similarity, CDC is also leveraging Microsoft's healthcare chatbot service to create an online coronavirus symptom checker that'll help users in making decisions and seek appropriate medical care.
By slightly modifying their features, these tech firms and health organizations are trying their best to support and help people. So, people should also try to be more responsible and take all the necessary precautions to stop the spread of this disease!
Featured screenshot: Crustypher.
