WHO launches new COVID-19 updates app for Android, iOS

World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new mobile app for COVID-19 guidance and updates, called WHO COVID-19 Updates. The app is quite similar to the original mobile app released by WHO earlier this year. It is currently available for both Android and iOS via the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The app is currently limited to Nigeria and will soon be rolling out to other English-speaking countries soon.

Android users staying outside of Nigeria can download its APK file and sideload it on to their smartphones to use it. Even though the app is limited to Nigeria, it still showcases country-specific data for all major regions.

The WHO COVID-19 Updates app provides its users with “trusted information about the virus from health experts.” It does not come with other features like contact tracing, for which you will have to keep using apps like Aarogya Setu. According to the organisation, the app will help spread safety advice and up-to-date information about the virus.

To recall, WHO originally launched its COVID-19 information app back in April. However, that was soon pulled from both the app stores as it “was not meant for public availability.”

The new WHO COVID-19 Updates app provides its users with the latest local news, information and real-time notifications about COVID-19. Additionally, the app lists basic hygiene practices, provides you with a donation link for WHO’s COVID-19 Response Fund, and showcases the number of national and global COVID-19 cases on the home screen.

The app features a dedicated Check-Up tab that lists serious and mild symptoms of the virus. The Learn tab provides users with advice on travel and how to protect themselves. The Stats tab, lets users look at the recent COVID-19 cases in their locality and globally, with the number of deaths too. It also features a list of myth busters and frequent question answers.