Mayo Clinic is using Amazon's Alexa to spread updated information about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four things to know:
1. The Amazon Echo and Echo Dot users can enable the "Mayo Clinic Answers on COVID-19" skill to receive CDC guidance. The Alexa skills are voice activated for Alexa-enabled devices and mobile devices with speech recognition technology.
2. Users can ask questions about the coronavirus and receive information from experts at Mayo Clinic and the CDC. The skills include a COVID-19 self-assessment tool.
3. The tool can help people with mild symptoms monitor the disease and decide on the next steps in care without unnecessarily visiting a healthcare provider.
4. Mayo already has a first aid skill developed for Alexa, which includes guidance for treating dozens of incidents.
"With a rapidly developing pandemic like COVID-19, delivering trusted health information on how to respond to our patients and the public is critical," said Sandhya Pruthi, MD, a Mayo Clinic physician and medical director for Mayo's Health Education and Content Services. "The 'Mayo Clinic Answers on COVID-19' skill for Alexa offers the latest information on symptoms, prevention and how to cope in a hands-free way using only the voice ― a fact that is especially important when we're trying to reduce the spread of a virus transmitted by physical contact."