22-Year-Old Designs App To Fight COVID-19 In Rajasthan

The "Corona Kavach Saathi" app makes it easy to collect data of suspected coronavirus cases, isolate them and then begin treatment. Early identification is one of the key steps to stop the spread of the virus.

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was also defined by a rapid spread of the virus from urban areas to villages. 40 per cent of the total cases in Rajasthan were from rural areas which also accounted for a high percentage of deaths - 53 per cent. The biggest challenge for the health infrastructure in tackling the spread was identifying cases, especially in rural areas. People were afraid to report cases and their symptoms as they were worried that they would be taken away to hospitals in cities and isolated from their families.  This mindset and the under-reporting of cases only helped spread the virus further. When 22-year-old Vipra Goyal saw the swift and destructive spread of the virus in the second wave, he decided something had to be done. That is when he came up with an app called "Corona Kavach Saathi" that could help identify Covid cases. He also organised a team of volunteers who would survey households through the app and then provide medicines to people who were displaying symptoms of COVID-19. Mr Goyal went a step further with his app. In case symptoms persisted, then, through the app, the volunteers can also help organise RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 patients.  Doing away with bulky registers and government files, the app makes it easy to collect data of suspected coronavirus cases, isolate them and then begin treatment. Early identification is one of the key steps to stop the spread of the virus.