U.S. in-home coronavirus screening tool now available, not on the CDC's website but on Apple's website.

Deleted member 3812 · Mar 28, 2020

The U.S. now has a in-home coronavirus screening tool, however it's NOT on the CDC's website but on Apple's website.....

COVID-19 and Your Health

Symptoms, testing, what to do if sick, daily activities, and more.

www.apple.com

krazen · Mar 28, 2020

Ain't nothing terrifying about how we are in an age when a national tragedy breaks out for corporations, and not even corporations in the same industry/background/field, step up and have to take over governmental duties.

This dystopia doesn't even have cool flying cars (but I guess that's next as the infrastructure crumbles)

Deleted member 3812 · Mar 28, 2020

CDC couldn't even develop their own app, so Apple developed it for the feds:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

www.coronavirus.gov

Alert
Apple and CDC, together with the White House and FEMA, launched a new website and app with a COVID-19 screening tool and resources to help people protect their health.

Inugami · Mar 28, 2020

It's CDC endorsed which makes it even more confusing...

enzo_gt · Mar 28, 2020

I'm super okay with capable entities from the private sector lending their expertise but it's weird as hell that this is hosted on Apple's site. Almost like there's some deal in place to drive traffic in exchange. Or maybe it's just up on Apple's site early?

DMT illuminous · Mar 28, 2020

KSweeley said:
CDC couldn't even develop their own app, so Apple developed it for the feds:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

www.coronavirus.gov

I would prefer an Apple developed app over whatever the CDC could stitch together at the last minute.

Slayven · Mar 28, 2020

If you read a book where the USA sold off it's response to a disaster not only to the highest bidder, but piece by piece you would say bullshit

Typhonsentra · Mar 28, 2020

The same answer I get with Tricare. Unless you need immediate hospitalization or you think the virus is "Foreign", you can't or will not be tested. That's precisely why it spread so quickly here.

stersauce · Mar 28, 2020

apple innovating the cdc i see

neonglow · Mar 28, 2020

Is Google making one for the Play store?

Richiek · Mar 28, 2020

There's an app for that:

‎Apple COVID-19

‎The COVID-19 app has up-to-date information from trusted sources about the coronavirus disease that is impacting people across the world. It has a screening tool so you can find out what you should do now for yourself or for a loved one. And it gives you access to resources you may need to stay...

apps.apple.com

Deleted member 3812 · Mar 28, 2020

Richiek said:
There's an app for that:

‎Apple COVID-19

‎The COVID-19 app has up-to-date information from trusted sources about the coronavirus disease that is impacting people across the world. It has a screening tool so you can find out what you should do now for yourself or for a loved one. And it gives you access to resources you may need to stay...

apps.apple.com

Now, did Apple and the CDC develop one for Android devices?

Deleted member 1476 · Mar 28, 2020

KSweeley said:
Now, did Apple and the CDC develop one for Android devices?

Green bubbles means no ventilator for you.

Vilix · Mar 28, 2020

Way to go, Tim Apple.

take_marsh · Mar 28, 2020

Was "loss of taste" ever a confirmed symptom of the infection? I didn't see it on there.

Watchtower · Mar 28, 2020

krazen said:
Ain't nothing terrifying about how we are in an age when a national tragedy breaks out for corporations, and not even corporations in the same industry/background/field, step up and have to take over governmental duties.

This dystopia doesn't even have cool flying cars (but I guess that's next as the infrastructure crumbles)

It's been joked before that the US (if not the world) has essentially become the megacorp-run dystopia envisioned by 90s media, and it's done so without giving us any of the cool shit that those fictional dystopias at least had. It's like the world is both trying to be Blade Runner and yet sucks too much to actually be Blade Runner.

Slayven said:
If you read a book where the USA sold off it's response to a disaster not only to the highest bidder, but piece by piece you would say bullshit

I legit worry that future generations will ignore current events and will be doomed to repeat them because current events are so rock fucking stupid that no one's ever going to believe they actually happened.

justin haines · Mar 28, 2020

this is huge if Apple to pull through on,

Noodle · Mar 28, 2020

I made my own app:

Do you have the symptoms? If Yes go to next.
Are you in imminent danger of dying or have severe pre-existing conditions? If Yes call this number, else go to next.
Have you travelled to or been in close contact with someone from a Covid-19 hotspot? If Yes call this number.

Brinbe · Mar 28, 2020

the corporatocracy is very real. and you should be scared as fuck

BasilZero · Mar 28, 2020

KSweeley said:
CDC couldn't even develop their own app, so Apple developed it for the feds:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

www.coronavirus.gov

KojiKnight said:
It's CDC endorsed which makes it even more confusing...

Cant pay for a programmer if your boss makes it impossible to afford one in house due to cutbacks....

wandering · Mar 28, 2020

KSweeley said:
CDC couldn't even develop their own app, so Apple developed it for the feds:

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

www.coronavirus.gov

Federal, state, and local governments contract private companies to develop applications all the time, this isn't surprising. The CDC isn't in the software dev business...

DMT illuminous · Mar 28, 2020

wandering said:
Federal, state, and local governments contracts private companies to develop applications all the time, this isn't surprising. The CDC isn't in the software dev business...

This. So glad the CDC didn't try.

collige · Mar 28, 2020

Based on my brief experience with it, they might as well have had Buzzfeed make it.

DMT illuminous said:
This. So glad the CDC didn't try.

Also, I doubt the CDC has a good CDN. Their servers would get hammered.

Dhx · Mar 28, 2020

The responses in this thread are puzzling. This is a joint venture with CDC and FEMA. It's right at the bottom of the page. Taking advantage of our existing private infrastructure is exactly what we want in an emergency. It's the entire reason for pressuring activation of the Defense Authorization Act.

The weird thing is that it's on Apples website, but whatever. Let's not nitpick.

DMT illuminous · Mar 28, 2020

Dhx said:
The responses in this thread are puzzling. This is a joint venture with CDC and FEMA. It's right at the bottom of the page. Taking advantage of our existing private infrastructure is exactly what we want in an emergency. It's the entire reason for pressuring activation of the Defense Authorization Act.

The weird thing is that it's on Apples website, but whatever. Let's not nitpick.

I was specifically responding to " CDC couldn't even develop their own app, so Apple developed it for the feds: "

Arsenic · Mar 28, 2020

1) it's on Apple's website, not CDC's. You'd think they have a space dedicated for that.

2) It's Apple. Are they making an Android app for this? Why not by some company more in the middle. Or both!

spam musubi · Mar 28, 2020

Arsenic said:
1) it's on Apple's website, not CDC's. You'd think they have a space dedicated for that.

2) It's Apple. Are they making an Android app for this? Why not by some company more in the middle. Or both!

The website can be used without an app. It seems to work fine on android.

amoy · Mar 28, 2020

spam musubi said:
The website can be used without an app. It seems to work fine on android.

This. Platform wars go elsewhere.

Dhx · Mar 28, 2020

DMT illuminous said:
I was specifically responding to " CDC couldn't even develop their own app, so Apple developed it for the feds: "

I wasn't including you in the puzzling group. As you said, it would be folly for the CDC to develop an app, much less under the most extreme crunch possible. Utilizing the existing private infrastructure is the correct answer.

Mercurial · Mar 28, 2020

take_marsh said:
Was "loss of taste" ever a confirmed symptom of the infection? I didn't see it on there.

Taste and/or smell.

Arsenic · Mar 28, 2020

amoy said:
This. Platform wars go elsewhere.

Ain't no platform wars? I was under the impression it was a downloadable app. It was about having as much people covered if that was the case

amoy · Mar 29, 2020

Arsenic said:
Ain't no platform wars? I was under the impression it was a downloadable app. It was about having as much people covered if that was the case

I apologize for the tone, being honest, I was very surprised at how accessible it actually is.

Just seeing White House listed as one of the partners made me expect something much less than ideal.

krazen · Mar 29, 2020

Dhx said:
The responses in this thread are puzzling. This is a joint venture with CDC and FEMA. It's right at the bottom of the page. Taking advantage of our existing private infrastructure is exactly what we want in an emergency. It's the entire reason for pressuring activation of the Defense Authorization Act.

The weird thing is that it's on Apples website, but whatever. Let's not nitpick.

Not to be that guy, but why am I paying 30% in taxes for Apple to do the heavy lifting? There's alot of smoke about how we pay less then the Nordic model in taxes which I understand, but you figure for that the sizable amount we pay could at least cover...I dunno, a generic informative site for a national emergency

Richiek · Mar 29, 2020

Arsenic said:
Ain't no platform wars? I was under the impression it was a downloadable app. It was about having as much people covered if that was the case

It's both an iOS app and on Apple's website, the latter is accessible by Android users.

Seductivpancakes · Mar 29, 2020

wandering said:
Federal, state, and local governments contract private companies to develop applications all the time, this isn't surprising. The CDC isn't in the software dev business...

Pretty much this. I'm pretty sure CDC is busy doing other things at this moment.

Dhx · Mar 29, 2020

krazen said:
Not to be that guy, but why am I paying 30% in taxes for Apple to do the heavy lifting? There's alot of smoke about how we pay less then the Nordic model in taxes which I understand, but you figure for that the sizable amount we pay could at least cover...I dunno, a generic informative site for a national emergency

Simply put, it's about efficiency and expertise. The one unassailable resource the US has is collective expertise. It's extremely inefficient for the government to maintain a stable of elite web/software engineers in the world when that work can be contracted out to the best the world has to offer (Apple, Google, Microsoft). Your 30% is just being more smartly allocated in this instance.

Dr Doom · Mar 29, 2020

Apple!
huff and puff what about Android. something something walled garden

it's a website

LordDraven · Mar 29, 2020

Was this tested by U2 first?

obin_gam · Mar 29, 2020

Are you suppose to spit on your phone or what? How does questions screen you for Covid19?

kreepmode · Mar 29, 2020

Some of you are making light of how basic and useless this screening site seems , but not everyone is you. this is better than nothing.

Wackamole · Mar 29, 2020

Basically, if you have one symptom (like a sore throat) and all other answers are "none of the above" the advice will still be to self-isolate and to even have a bathroom for yourself. So i'm okay with the app. Of course it's impossible for the app to see if you really have the virus.

TheUnseenTheUnheard · Mar 29, 2020

I think it's fine but I don't think there should be a single link on the page that leads to their products. The top left logo for instance.

krazen · Mar 29, 2020

Dhx said:
Simply put, it's about efficiency and expertise. The one unassailable resource the US has is collective expertise. It's extremely inefficient for the government to maintain a stable of elite web/software engineers in the world when that work can be contracted out to the best the world has to offer (Apple, Google, Microsoft). Your 30% is just being more smartly allocated in this instance.

Apple's expertise is in web design or health? At least if this was squarespace, lol. How many additional layers of bureaucracy did we have to go from the whitehouse to apple, and then to apple internally to pull off a simple questionnaire (and probably have to circle back many times to confirm this is what the WH wants? )

Many major municipalities actually do keep staff like graphic designers, Web designers, etc on staff because they consistently need their services, (at least if they are doing government right). Everything can't be 'free market' because there's a billion inefficiencies built into a municipality oursourcing shit. Not to say jobs don't get outsourced alot, but even Apple being the primary organizer of this makes no sense as far as a tech company being suited for the job. I know staff like this who are employed directly with NYC

WedgeX · Mar 29, 2020

So Apple reinvented WebMD.

Malleymal · Mar 29, 2020

Man... allergies are going to have people losing their minds on this site

inner-G · Mar 29, 2020

WedgeX said:
So Apple reinvented WebMD.

I thought it was just a small cut, but you're telling me it's Lupus?

U.S. in-home coronavirus screening tool now available, not on the CDC's website but on Apple's website.

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