The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended the Sultanate’s keenness in using modern technology to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a recent report published on its English on its website, the WHO’s Regional Office said that the Sultanate launched some of the most vigorous tech solutions in the Middle East to track and monitor the spread of COVID-19 and to ensure isolated patients’ commitment to quarantine measures.
In particular, WHO hailed Health Ministry’s Tarassud Plus mobile phone app as a smart solution featuring many advanced specs, statistics and the best practices in the field of contagion prevention.
The app allows access to medical hotlines and support groups, so that potential patients can discuss their symptoms and receive proper guidance about whether they should visit health establishments (for medical assistance) or stay at home. Once the patients are diagnosed, the medical tracking bracelet connected to the app ensures an informed home isolation for the patients.
The WHO noted that Tarassud Plus is available in all common languages of English, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali and Urdu, giving access to tens of thousands of people in multiple times. The type of artificial intelligence used in the Sultanate helps specialists in public health to diagnose suspected cases of significance and attend to the cases as deemed necessary.
An established system of controlling wrong information about virus spread can help, if properly propagated, curb the spread of the disease and detect symptoms beforehand, said the WHO in its report on Oman.
Dr. Ja'afar Hussein, Acting WHO Representative, said that, “Upon the emergence of countries from the state of lockdown, we have to be alert. Only through widespread testing and communication that we can monitor the virus. In this way, we can keep infection curves as low as possible and save lives.”
The WHO quoted Dr. Adil Al Wahaibi, Director of Disease Detection Department at the Ministry of Health, as saying that data is decisive in controlling the spread of coronavirus efficiently, and this type of epidemiological data will help us understand the way it spreads and limit the occurrence of new cases of infection.”
The WHO also quoted another Omani specialist, Dr. Saif Al Abri, Director General of Disease Surveillance and Control, who said, “The wealth of information that we get by efficient monitoring, proper detection and professional follow up of infected persons will ensure that the Sultanate can tackle any future outbreaks and protect the population at a large scale.”