New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System has developed a web-based app designed to track the spread of COVID-19 throughout the city, according to CNBC.
Called Stop COVID NYC, the app asks users to complete a survey about their demographics, exposure and symptom history. From there, users are asked to complete daily surveys on their symptoms through text messages.
To sign up, users can text COVID to 64722. Mount Sinai said it hopes to use the data collected to determine where to allocate resources.
"To do this well, we need our whole city to help, not just those in hospitals or with access to healthcare," said Laura Huckins, assistant professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Everyone is included, and everyone can help. Capturing citywide coronavirus data from residents before, during and after they become ill could help to reduce the pressure on medical resources and contribute to slowing the spread."