NITA
Ghana’s COVID-19 Tracker App has so far accrued 34,000 downloads since its launch, according to Richard Okyere-Fosu, Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA).
This follows an initial figure of 16,000 downloads in the first 24 hours of the application’s launch on April 13, 2020 by the Ministry of Communications and formally launched by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Richard Okyere-Fosu said; “Currently as of last night [April 16, 2020], we’ve had 34,219 downloads and people are providing us with more information on symptoms of Coronavirus which will be passed on to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to follow up on”
“I want to use this medium to also appeal to Ghanaians that we need this information so we can assist the Ghana Health Service to get you the help that you need,” he appealed.
Okyere-Fosu however assured citizens that none of their personal data is being collected through the app.
“The COVID-19 Tracker App does not store personal information like audio. What we are asking people to provide is just their phone number and location to aid us in the contact tracing exercise to curb the spread of coronavirus.”
He added there was no bidding process for the development of the COVID-19 app tracker and was a ‘purely done Corporate Social Responsibility mandate’ by the developers.
Earlier, Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu, said the application had already received about 100 reports on coronavirus related symptoms from individuals.
“About 100 people have reported symptoms which are likely to be coronavirus related so we will pass on that information to the Ghana Health Service,” she said at a press briefing on April 14, 2020.
Vice President, Dr. Bawumia on April 13, launched the Ghana COVID-19 Tracker Application that will allow individuals to self-report symptoms without needing to visit a healthcare facility and thereby aiding in social distancing.
Accessible as a browser-based app, the COVID-19 Tracker will also aid in the tracking of individuals who attend the same function as part of measures towards the enhanced contact tracing exercise.
