Best Coronavirus Tracking Apps
Smartphone apps have proven to be a handy tool in tracking infected people, providing the latest information and guidelines, and assisting healthcare organizations. But, seeing that there are countless Covid-19 tracking apps out there that claim to be aimed at stopping the virus, you can’t help but think that some of them are created solely to spread misinformation and scam people. This is why it’s crucial to follow the right sources and download only trustworthy apps. To save you time on doing research, in this week’s Zlog, we’ll take a look at the best Covid-19 tracking apps you can install on your smartphone.
CovidWatch
Developed in collaboration with Stanford University, the CovidWatch app uses Bluetooth signals to detect and alert users anonymously if they get in the proximity with someone who has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. This app is a great choice for those who want to stay aware of the latest information, but don’t want to sacrifice their privacy to do so. This is because no sign-up information is required, and no third party can use the information to track individual exposure of each user directly. The CovidWatch app was one of the first ones that work in such a way, and still remains one of the best Covid-19 tracking apps you can find online.
Aarogya Setu
Aarogya Setu is a Covid-19 tracking app developed by the Indian National Informatics Centre. Despite being initially released to spread awareness and help citizens of India, Aarogya Setu quickly became the world’s fastest-growing mobile app, with five million downloads within three days of its launch, and more than fifty million downloads after less than two weeks. It works on a similar principle as CovidWatch, using Bluetooth and GPS to track the Covid-19 infection, and also gives updates on the number of local and national cases. The app is available in twelve languages.
Best Covid-19 Tracking Websites
Aside from Covid-19 tracking apps, there are quite a few websites that focus on tracking the pandemic in real-time. These sites are a great option if you want to keep track of the situation and get the latest info, but aren’t willing to install any apps on your phone. Here are a few of our top picks:
The John Hopkins University Tracker
In our opinion, the best dashboard for tracking the Covid-19 pandemic is the Covid-19 dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University. It provides real-time information from official sources and includes in-depth features, maps, and charts. The precise maps and charts cover the incidence rate, testing rate, hospitalization rate, and other useful data.
nCoV2019.live dashboard
The nCoV2019.live site is a very intuitive and easy to use dashboard that’s available on both mobile and desktop devices. Its useful layout allows you to break down the data globally, regionally, and even by each US State if you’re looking for more precise information regarding your surroundings. It even monitors disparities in vulnerable populations and gives you the option of sorting by several important differentiators.
Can These Apps Be a Privacy Issue?
Covid-19 tracking apps have quickly taken over smartphone stores in all countries over the world. Moreover, over a dozen countries have created official contact tracing apps, with many more countries planning to do so shortly. This draws concerns whether these apps are only made to battle the pandemic or also server to monitor and collect user information. Of course, while this is certainly a possibility, the apps we included above are all transparent and collect only a minimal amount of data.
But, even though all of the apps and websites we recommended to you on this page are safe and trustworthy, you can never be too careful when online. That’s why, if you’re looking to get the latest and unbiased news while still protecting your online identity, a VPN service is the way to go. At ZoogVPN, we offer you a premium VPN service at the most affordable price. Sign up today and enjoy safe and unrestricted internet.
Yaroslav S.CEO at ZoogVPN. Yaroslav is a versatile manager with extensive customer support experience. His historical background and a deep passion for philosophy perfectly complete a real desire to create meaningful content and tech products.
