It seeks that countries that do not have the technological and digital infrastructure and experience can also develop a COVID-19 case tracking application.
WHO is planning to launch a new application on COVID-19, which aims to provide information to help governments track confirmed cases and suspected cases of COVID-19 in lower-income countries.
It is a contact tracing tool, which is intended to identify and evaluate users who have been exposed to people sick with COVID-19. This case tracking app will work on smartphones via Bluetooth.
WHO published a guide for contact tracing in the context of COVID-19, detailing possible epidemiological scenarios and steps to be taken for the implementation of this system (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332049/WHO-2019-nCoV-Contact_Tracing-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y).
According to the document “contact tracing for COVID-19 requires identifying persons who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and following them up daily for 14 days from the last point of exposure”.
The correct application of a contact tracing system seeks to break down the chains of transmission of infectious diseases, avoiding new outbreaks, in this case COVID-19 among populations.
Although the United States and Europe account for most COVID-19 contagions, WHO pays particular attention to potential mass boats in Africa and South-East Asia, which is why, despite government measures, it seeks to develop and implement this tracking technology to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and then lift or relax mobility measures.