Page 40 - Smart public health emergency management and ICT implementations - A U4SSC deliverable on city platforms

APPENDIX II – An exemplar of Covid-19 tracking App

While all the Apps are basically aimed at mitigating some challenge or the other posed by Covid-19,
the most downloaded App – more than 96 Million – is Arogya Setu 73,74,75,76,77 .

The additional feature that Aarogya Setu has is self-assessment, which makes it quicker for a user to
be detected and remedial measures taken, including a team of designated health care professionals
coming to the user’s place to test him/her for the virus. Also, it makes use of GPS location to make
it easier for the authorities to take action in identifying the hotspots.

The Aarogya Setu mobile App, developed by the ministry of electronics and IT, has been adopted
by the Government of India. It provides a way of managing the pandemic, more so in a dense urban
environment. This can be a cost-effective way of handling this invisible enemy in smart cities. The
same App can be modified for future applications for managing other diseases/pandemics as well.

Aarogya Setu – literally meaning Bridge to Health – is an App-based solution to contain the Covid-19
pandemic. Available both on Google Play and the Apple App Store, the App is available in 11
languages, including English and ten regional languages of India. It is designed to keep a user
informed in case she or he has crossed paths with someone who has tested positive or if there are
cases in the neighbourhood. The tracking is done through a Bluetooth and location-generated
social graph, which can show one’s interaction with anyone who has tested positive. Thus, other
people susceptible to the virus can also be tracked and traced.

Aarogya Setu, designed to help citizens identify their risk of contracting Covid-19, notched up more
than 127 million downloads as of July 2020.

30 U4SSC: Smart public health emergency management and ICT implementations