It is available free of cost. Anybody can go to their site (https://coronachecker.dh.health/) and give his or her present basic health information and get an assessment of whether one is at risk of infection by the virus or not. 

This is developed in Bangladesh by Digital Healthcare Solutions (DH), a Grameen social business company, which was previously known as Telenor Health.   

It is offering digital healthcare services for the last four years and has a client base of over five million, said a media release on Thursday. 

Through this announcement, DH encourages each person to spend 40 seconds every day to do the check to make sure things are same as on previous days.

“Corona Symptom Checker” (https://coronachecker.dh.health/) empowers everyone by offering a smart solution for self-assessment of the symptoms one  might have and whether those are related to COVID-19. 

Coronavirus can even be particularly deadly for elderly people, or those with preexisting diseases, if not addressed at the right time.

This symptom checker incorporates the latest medical insights from NHS UK, CDC in the USA, and DGHS of Bangladesh and enables anyone, sitting at home, to conduct a risk analysis check in less than a minute.

DH explains that the purpose of its symptom checker is to help users make decisions about seeking appropriate medical care, and it is not intended for the full diagnosis or treatment of COVID-19. 

The online tool asks a series of questions to establish the level of illness being experienced by the user and directs them with appropriate recommendations as per DGHS and IEDCR guidelines. 

Recommendations range from calling the government hotline (16233, 333), staying at home and visiting designated hospitals or isolated places within a hospital. A series of health tips and videos are also available, on how to wash hands effectively, and how to safely quarantine and isolate when required.

As the Coronavirus is sweeping through almost all the countries of the world including Bangladesh affecting more than 463,000 people with a death toll of nearly 21,000 as of March 25, hospitals are being flooded with hundreds of thousands of patients, who, in most cases are not even related to Coronavirus infection, said the media release. 

Unless advised by physicians, COVID-19 patients should avoid visiting hospitals and stay in self isolation at their homes to ensure the prevention of further spread of the infection.

If used properly, “Corona Symptom Checker” can help the country reduce additional pressure on the healthcare system by keeping patients with mild symptoms at home not hospital. 

The only way to protect ourselves from this outbreak is staying at home, social distancing, and raising awareness of prevention and symptoms of the virus.

“These are extraordinary times for everyone. The more we take control to understand our symptoms, the better we would be able to help our health system look after the critically ill patients. Share this as widely as possible to your family and loved ones, and ensure everyone takes the checker,” said Dr Khaled Hasan, Head of Clinical Operations, Digital Healthcare Solutions.