1-Check COVID is a dynamic app that enables people to screen their symptoms to assess their likelihood of being infected with COVID-19. The UNMC team that worked with Apple and created the app includes Department of Emergency Medicine’s Thang Nguyen, UNO Director of Student Development for Scott Scholars Wes Zeger, UNO Director of Student Development for the Scott Scholars Program Harnoor Singh, and three UNO Scott Scholars: Keegan Brown, Carly Cameron, and Grayson Stanton. Since mobile technology has become a common part of daily lives, apps like 1-Check COVID will likely become a standard component in the emergency pandemic response toolbox—whether being used by emergency responders to screen multiple patients or by people that are concerned with the symptoms they or their friends and family are experiencing. 1-Check COVID is now available for download on Apple or Android devices.
By answering some questions and entering symptoms being experienced, the user will receive a "low-risk," "urgent risk," or "emergent risk," assessment and be given suggested next steps such as monitoring symptoms or contacting a public health department to inquire about testing. If the user consents to sharing the information with public health services, the data will be used in aggregate and stored in an encrypted cloud database hosted by UNMC to ensure security. The app will also allow the user to send the results of their assessment to their family, employer, and physician. "1-Check COVID will help reassure the worried well, assist public safety teams responding to concerns, and guide individuals who may have symptoms but are unsure what to do or how to share their concerns with others," said UNMC and UNO Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
"Broad distribution of the app will help guide the nation’s response and manage information for wide-scale lab testing," said Dr. James Lawler, Executive Director of the Global Center for Health Security, "It’s a tool to alleviate concerns, provide reasonable guidance, and provide important information based on regional data." The app is ZIP code dependent, so recommendations to the user are tailored to specific areas based on local status (recommendations may vary from state to state depending on their current pandemic status). The app is modified several times a week, but the protocols and recommendations occur centrally in a database.