Apple launches Covid-19 screening tool so you can see if you need testing

Apple has launched a new Covid-19 screening website and iOS app, in partnership with the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

You can use either the site or the app to figure out if you need to be tested for Covid-19 or if you should get in touch with the emergency services. While the contact information and links are geared towards US users, anyone can make use of the tool.

You'll be asked about your current symptoms, any health issues you're living with, and where you've traveled to and from in the last few weeks. Once that's done, you'll be guided towards the most appropriate next steps, like getting tested.

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Even if it's unlikely that you've been affected by the new coronavirus, the site and app will still offer up information about how to protect yourself – practising social distancing, washing your hands, and so on. Even if you're pretty sure you don't have Covid-19, it's well worth checking out.

Get the info you need

"The tools do not require a sign-in or association with a user's Apple ID, and users' individual responses will not be sent to Apple or any government organization," Apple points out in its official announcement.

We saw the foundations for this new tool being added to Siri last weekend – if you ask Apple's digital assistant about the new coronavirus or the Covid-19 disease then you get directed to the same information and resources.

You've now got an abundance of options if you need some authoritative, reliable information about the global pandemic we're living through. Google's online coronavirus hub is now online, with links to official health agencies in the US.

As you would expect, the coronavirus outbreak is having a huge impact on the world of tech. We're seeing events canceled and launches delayed, and it's going to be some months yet before everything is able to get back to normal.

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