A new website aimed at gathering information about the symptoms associated with COVID-19 has been launched.
Mycovidsymptoms.ie will be used to quickly and easily track the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland by gathering anonymous symptom data.
NUI Galway collaborated with the University of Limerick and Orreco on the new website, which will allow researchers to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 infections more accurately.
It will also help authorities make timely, data-driven decisions about protective measures.
It is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of disease but rather a collection of clinical symptoms in the context of COVID19.
All data captured is anonymous and there is no way for it to be connected back to an individual.
The aggregate anonymous data will be provided to the Irish health authorities to help with their planning and will be used in research by NUI Galway and University of Limerick to help prevent and mitigate future pandemics.
Professor Derek O’Keeffe, Consultant Physician University Hospital Galway and Professor of Medical Device Technology at NUI Galway is leading the research.
NUI Galway’s Professor Derek O’Keeffe said: “To defeat your enemy you must know where it is and the data from MyCovidSymptoms.ie and COVID19 testing allows us to do this.
“Clinically it is important to know where COVID19 is in the community, so that we can plan accordingly and learn more about the disease.
“Globally other leading academic institutions, such as Harvard University, USA and Kings College London, have also seen the importance of this kind of research and developed country specific solutions.
“We expect that the Irish knowledge that we learn from this will help us all fight COVID19 both now and in the future.”
Professor O’Keeffe developed the innovative software solution with INSIGHT SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics (Dr Andrew Simpkin, Marc Mellotte, Carlos Tighe) and collaborators Dr Kevin Johnson, University of Limerick and Gearóid Hynes, Conor Maguire and Kevin McGinley of Orreco, with graphic design by Eamon Whyte.
