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Two US-based companies have launched a software application (App) to help create awareness and protect people against health-related risks to coronavirus for Africa.
The application according to the two organisations, Pathways International and DiaspoCare will also help people in Africa protect themselves against health-related risks to coronavirus.
“The two organisations have come together to create a software application to create awareness among people in Africa and protect themselves from the health risks related to coronavirus,” read a joint statement from the companies.
The new application dubbed the Simba COVID-19 Risk Assessment Bot is an interactive virtual assistant chatbot that uses natural language processing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to understand end-user inputs, assess risk levels and provide recommended actions based on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and Microsoft Cloud Analytics.
The service https://bit.ly/2X14V9e which is initially in English will be available in additional languages within the coming weeks. It will also have speech recognition capability.
Speaking to Standard Digital on phone, Pathways managing partner and Africa chief executive Gideon Aswani said the app which was rolled out in Nairobi, Kenya will be shared to the entire continent via social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
He said the App has a dropdown down menu which asks users their country of origin from, adding that already there are users from various countries in Africa.
“Already there are users from Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria and Tanzania who have been reached on social media platforms,” said Aswani.
Another initiative
Recently, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF partnered with WhatsApp to create WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub in support of the global fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
The WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub provides simple, actionable guidance for health workers, educators, community leaders, nonprofits, local governments and local businesses that rely on WhatsApp to communicate.
The site also offers general tips and resources for users around the world to reduce the spread of rumours and connect with accurate health information.
Pathways International (https://www.pathwaysinternational.com) is a Colorado, USA based company with Africa offices in Nairobi, Kenya. Pathways International specialises in Business Intelligence (BI), Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions.
DiaspoCare (https://diaspocare.com) is a Minnesota, USA based social enterprise healthcare startup whose mission is to increase access to affordable, quality medication and healthcare services for millions of Africans through technology and advocacy.
DiaspoCare is currently piloting its healthcare financing digital platform in Ghana and Kenya.
Africa as a continent has 7,177 confirmed cases of coronavirus with Algeria leading with 1,171 cases as at April 3, 2020.
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