This week, the World Health Organization launched a messaging service via WhatsApp, to bring its two billion users COVID-19 information via their mobile devices. Accessible 24/7, the chatbot is for government leaders, health workers, as well as the general public.
The new messaging service provides up-to-date news and information on coronavirus along with the most recent statistics from the WHO which created the service called 'WHO Health Alert.'
"This includes details on symptoms and how people can protect themselves as well as others. It also provides the latest situation reports and numbers in real-time to help government decision-makers protect the health of citizens"
Want to keep up with the latest on coronavirus? Access this link, and a conversation will open via WhatsApp. By typing 'hi,' you can activate the conversation, which prompts a menu of options that might answer many of the burning questions everyday folks have about the virus.
In an ongoing effort to prevent the spread of rumors, WhatApp last week launched the 'Coronavirus Information Hub' to help reduce the possibility of misinformation spreading during the time of a pandemic. Created in conjunction with the WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP, the service is for business professionals who rely on WhatsApp for mission-critical business services. According to the new information hub:
"If you aren't sure something's true, don't forward it"
WhatsApp has resources for community leaders, healthcare professionals who want to hold remote conferences, send quick responses to FAQs, and track patients remotely. There are even resources for educators to connect with students, ways of sending/receiving assignments, sharing lessons, and more.
Already, medical professionals in Paris have formed a WhatsApp group to send the latest updates on hospital capacities. Elsewhere, patients in Brazil can now schedule appointments and ask doctors questions using the messaging app.
If you were ever looking for a practical application of chatbot technology, this one is a monumental use-case and poised to assist hundreds of millions of WhatsApp users in accessing valuable, life-saving, and accurate information, something today we seem to take for granted.
