Akkure Covid-19 self-assessment test indicates more than 4.4% of users may need to be tested
New figures show that the COVIDMedBot, the free self-assessment tool, has now been taken 30,000 times, with 5,000 repeat tests commenced. The assessment results indicate that more than 4.4% of those who self–assessed may need to be tested. 9.7% of people that completed the self-assessment are healthcare workers.
COVIDMedBot has been developed by Akkure, an Irish digital health start-up based at NovaUCD. The free tool is available online at https://www.akkure4covid.com and the self-assessment can be completed in 90 seconds.
The self-assessments have been adjusted to follow the application of new World Health Organization (WHO) case definition and prioritisation criteria. The 4.4% of people that may require a test reported displaying two major symptoms – a fever and either a cough or shortness of breath. Many of these will fall into a priority group and will need be tested. These include close contacts of a confirmed case, healthcare staff and vulnerable groups.
The results also indicated 15.9% have a high risk of contracting Covid-19, with 19% being vulnerable to becoming severely clinically impacted if infected, requiring hospitalisation or critical care in an ICU.
Dr Oran Rigby, co-founder, Akkure, said, “We are very pleased with the self-assessments completed to date. We have covered every county in Ireland and we are now able to identify some key insights into how COVID is evolving across the Island of Ireland. The World Health Organization have said ‘find, test and isolate every case’ and to assist in this we would encourage people to take the free test daily, for themselves and to help others take it, as the self-assessment will be dynamically updated for each individual in accordance with guidelines.”
“We all know we need to stay at home, wash our hands and support our health services. It’s easy to know how to achieve the first two, but how can people do something concrete to support our health services? With your help, we can work to ensure that only those who really need to access healthcare do so over the next few weeks.”
The Covid19 Medbot self-assessment test is designed to alleviate a lot of the stress on the Irish Healthcare system and the risk stratification enables resources to be deployed for those most likely to need help, whilst reassuring individuals with minimal risk. It takes about 90 seconds to complete and will give a clear indication if there is any cause for concern, with personalised insights into recommended next steps.
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