Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

Ghana’s COVID-19 Tracker App upgraded

graphic.com.gh Sep - 02 - 2020 , 17:04 2 minutes read

Government has re-launched the GH COVID-19 tracker App which was first launched on April 13, 2020.

The app was first launched by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to help boost government’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic in Ghana.

The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said at the re-launch of the app on Wednesday that the purpose for the re-launch was because the app had been updated and its efficiency improved.

She said the re-launch had also become necessary following the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport as well as the eased COVID-19 restrictions.

“Today we are here once again to re-launch an upgraded version of the COVID-19symptom tracker, in view of the President’s easing of restrictions on movement and the opening up of the airports to travellers. Our strategy of using a multi-staged COVID-19 recovery plan based on science and data requires the deployment and use of digital technology and innovation to restore every sector of the Ghanaian economy to normalcy,” she said.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the updated tracker app will enable healthcare staff to contact COVID-19 patients and track suspected cases, as well as identify COVID-19 hotpots.

“Under this re-launch platform, healthcare staff will be able to contact patients and track the movements of COVID-19 live cases. The new platform can also alert users on moving out of allowed areas, report case breaches to authorities and push notifications to bulk users amongst others,” she added.

Ursula said the COVID-19 tracker app forms part of measures to leverage technology to fight the spread of the disease.

She added that the new platform is accessible to everyone and not only smartphone users.

What is the GH COVID-19 Tracker app?

The COVID-19 Tracker App, through the common platform of mobile networks, is able to trace contacts of persons infected by the virus, show where they have been in recent time, through various telephone related data, and link such people to health professionals for urgent action to be taken.

The app, through same telephone related data, is also able to report contacts which are, or have recently been to COVID-19 hit countries, as well as track whether individuals required to self-quarantine, are indeed doing so.