Across America, people are suffering from symptoms similar to COVID-19, yet they can’t get an official diagnosis because of the lingering shortage of test kits. The experience is frustrating for patients. It’s also dangerous for public health officials.
“You cannot fight a fire blindfolded,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing earlier this month that encouraged countries to step up testing. “We cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected.”
Now, researchers have created a way to track people with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they still can’t easily diagnose who actually has the disease. The effort is called COVID Near You. Anyone in the U.S. can use the site to self-report their location and how they’re feeling.
