Apple Siri helps users who ask about their Coronavirus status

Apple this weekend updated its Siri voice assistant with information and assets designed to triage users who believe they are suffering from COVID-19. Siri's COVID-19 protocol is currently restricted to the U.S., likely because the feature's underlying information was derived from American health authorities. Whether Apple is working on similar solutions for other regions is unknown.

Apple this weekend updated its Siri voice assistant with information and assets designed to triage users who believe they are suffering from COVID-19. In a tweet the company mentioned how users can know about their COVID-19 status.

• .@Apple’s #Siri can help triage users who ask about #COVID-19 https://t.co/RyeNk6AzFg pic.twitter.com/s4lr6272dX

  — AppleInsider (@appleinsider) March 22, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  .@Apple’s #Siri can help triage users who ask about #COVID-19 https://t.co/RyeNk6AzFg pic.twitter.com/s4lr6272dX

  — AppleInsider (@appleinsider) March 22, 2020

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  .@Apple’s #Siri can help triage users who ask about #COVID-19 https://t.co/RyeNk6AzFg pic.twitter.com/s4lr6272dX

  — AppleInsider (@appleinsider) March 22, 2020

As per the information provided by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control, Siri guides users through a set of questions designed in part to screen for the new coronavirus, reports AppleInsider

The feature is triggered by queries like "Hey Siri, do I have the coronavirus?" and "Hey Siri, I think I have COVID-19."

How does this feature works?

• First Siri asks about questions the user is facing like fever, dry cough, or shortness of breath.
• If the user says YES, then a follow up question by Siri leads to an option of automatically call 911.
• If the user says NO to the symptoms, then Siri asks if the user has been exposed to a positive COVID-19 patient.
• Depending upon the answers while referring to the symptoms, Siri advice's to isolate and closely monitor the situation. s
• Depending upon the medical condition. Siri advices to contact a medical provider.
• for senior citizens, 65 years and above are also asked to contact the doctor immediately.
• If the situation is not alarming, Siri asks the users to refer the CDC's COVI-19 Web page or the App Store. The latter of which currently features a PSA on social distancing from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The same PSA is in rotation on the apple.com homepage and in the "Browse" section of Apple Music.

Siri's COVID-19 protocol is currently restricted to the U.S., likely because the feature's underlying information was derived from American health authorities. Whether Apple is working on similar solutions for other regions is unknown.

(ETV Bharat)