Corona warning app
An overview of the colleagues in the warning app
Apps in action against the corona pandemic
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Almost everyone has at least heard of the Corona warning app. There are also other applications that are designed to help fight the virus.
The German corona warning app has now been downloaded more than 25 million times to Android smartphones and iPhones since it was released in June 2020. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) could do that and the Federal Ministry of Health recently announced. By now, most Germans should be familiar with the application. But there are also other programs that are designed to help fight the pandemic. Here is an overview of five anti-corona apps and their exact purpose.
Break chains of infection faster
The Corona warning app (iOS / Android) is intended to inform users whether they have been near a person infected with the coronavirus for a longer period in the past. In this way, warned users can possibly have themselves tested at an early stage and, if necessary, go into quarantine. Infection chains are supposed to be broken faster, the virus is supposed to spread more slowly.
The "CovApp" developed by the Berlin Charité together with Data4Life offers a catalog of questions that can be answered within minutes – including questions about current symptoms or contacts. Consumers then receive recommendations for action and are shown possible contacts. The application should help to better assess how necessary a doctor's visit or a corona test could be. However, the use of the app does not replace a professional diagnosis or treatment.
"NINA" (iOS / Android) stands for "Emergency Information and Message App". The application of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance is intended to inform citizens about current danger situations. For some time now there has also been a Corona tab in the app, under which users can obtain basic and current information about the pandemic, vaccinations and the like. Contact options in the various federal states are also listed.
Data can help
The RKI asks citizens to voluntarily provide data from smartwatches or fitness trackers via the "Corona data donation app" in order to advance research on the virus. Via the app, users send activity data collected from their devices that are intended to provide new insights. Professor Dirk Brockmann (51) from Berlin's Humboldt University explains: "Your data donation enables us to better record the spread of the novel coronavirus and to drastically reduce the number of unreported cases."
The "SafeVac 2.0" (iOS / Android) app from the Paul Ehrlich Institute pursues similar goals. The application is intended to analyze the tolerance of corona vaccines. Those who have been vaccinated can use this method to tell how they tolerated the vaccination. Users are questioned several times. This is intended to provide further information about the newly approved vaccines. It is also asked whether the vaccination helped to prevent infection or whether it was still infected.