Razan Itani, Solutions Manager at Monty Mobile

Monty Mobile is launching a Health Check Mobile App, Corona Care, which will rely on the full cooperation of people and their awareness to fill a daily health check questionnaire covering COVID-19 symptoms.

A team of data scientists will build algorithms to analyze the data collected, and the support of medical experts is required to accurately identify and extract stats of COVID-19 symptoms. Monty Mobile is utilizing its experience and resources to cooperate with key mobile operators in an effort to help mitigate the spread of the virus.

Miss Razan Itani, Solutions Manager at Monty Mobile talks us through their new app, Corona Care, which will be available to download at the end of April.

What is the Corona Care App? What is it used for?

First, I want to start by expressing my admiration and respect to the doctors and nurses who are doing their best in fighting against COVID-19. This emergency requires global effort from engineers, scientists, developers and leaders in technology. As Monty Mobile is part of that community, we have developed a new Mobile App as a quick scan and check-up tool for COVID-19 symptoms. Its strength lies in its simple yet advanced features, especially in regard to data analytics, as we aim to collect and study symptom variation based on user profiles and segmentation.

What are the main features of the App?

Initially, we will focus on the basic features, it is expected that users on a daily basis will fill questionnaires for symptoms in a chat log. If any critical symptom is identified, we will ask again if symptoms persist and advise them to consult a doctor. The App will calculate the quarantine percentage of users and track accordingly. Moreover, users will have access to the latest WHO releases, as it is the only trusted health information source.

Advanced features related to location tracking and notification for users include those who are in areas of infected people, which will be released at a later phase, with the possibility of integration with Red Cross or Emergency Centers.

What kind of personal info are people required to submit?

We do understand that people’s privacy is a priority, but so is our health and saving lives. We will ask users to fill their general profile like Age, Gender, Weight, Location, Medical Stats – key criteria needed to make a diagnosis.

Misinformation regarding the virus is one of the biggest issues. Besides stating facts about the virus, can the app help clear the misinformation? If so, how?

Yes correct, in regards to our App, we will only use and share official WHO information.

How does Monty Mobile plan on using the technology to further accelerate the advancements in medical tech?

Collecting data from different countries for different profiles needed for analysis, will be a key factor. We have a group of data scientists who will take the lead in profiling, segmenting, and clustering big data, based on different algorithms.

We are then ready to put such data in the hands of doctors, scientists, and researchers; the data is only as accurate as the information provided by our users, which is why users play an essential role in this process.

How do you plan on reaching out to as many potential users as possible?

The Corona Care App will be released to App and Play Store. The main target will be to collaborate with Mobile Operators or Governmental Health Institutions who already have mass reach to subscribers and who can easily organize bulk campaigns to promote the App.

How is big data going to be used, and how can this help people stay safe?

There are plenty of examples here. China used technology and big data to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Big Data and Artificial Intelligence played an important role in developing dashboards and monitoring the spread of the virus to alert people. Since China is fully equipped with face recognition and infrared temperature detection technology, AI companies have claimed that these tools can recognize people even wearing masks, thereby helping to track infected people and identify who they have been in contact with. Smartphone apps are also a tool to keep an eye on people’s movements and determine if they are in contact with an infected person. Smart surveillance cameras have ensured that those who are quarantined, do not step out.

How will the data be analyzed in order to serve better findings next time?

It will be valuable to have insights into the evolvement of the symptoms and how it varies according to different profiles. Also, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy challenged researchers to analyze about 29,000 scholarly articles to answer key questions about the Coronavirus. Such data is needed to better understand the origins and transmission of the Coronavirus in order to support efforts in finding a treatment/vaccine.

What are the biggest challenges when it comes to implementing the Corona Care App?

We need the user to trust and feel comfortable with the app, as the users are the only source of information for symptoms. COVID-19 is not a taboo and the main aim of the App is to raise awareness and provide support.

How do you plan on expanding, after you have launched the app?

Applying quarantine is one way to limit the spread of COVID-19 – it is a crucial measure at this time. But because we are living in an era of technology and social media domination, it is necessary to utilize technological advancements to help fight against COVID-19, in every way possible. Corona Care will be recognized as an achievement at Monty Mobile, but we will continue moving forward in bringing innovative solutions to our global community.