The University of Cape Town (UCT) has recorded another coronavirus (COVID-19) case, taking their tally to eight. UCT Spokesperson Elijah Moholola says the new case involves a staff member, who is attached to a department that has been working remotely for at least the past six weeks.
The relevant line managers are providing support to the staff member.
Moholola says the latest case follows three successive weeks of no infections.
Meanwhile, three staff members and three students, who contracted the virus earlier, have recovered fully.
App to trace contacts
A group of researchers from the University of Cape Town is hard at work developing a smartphone app to help government track people who may be unaware that they have contracted COVID-19, as well as those who have come into contact with people who have tested positive.
Named CoviID, the application uses location to do the tracking.
Researchers from @UCT_news have built #COViID, a smartphone app that gives everyone the ability to prove their #COVID19 status securely, without loss of privacy. Watch this short video clip (https://t.co/FUPIvWc8s7) and read our recent news story: https://t.co/3e0A0ZT5Br @Covi_ID
— UCT Research (@UCT_Research) May 5, 2020
How will it work?
The CoviID app will collect users’ personal locations and their infection statuses, and store the data on individual’s phones using a technology called self-sovereign identity – not on a centralised government or private-sector database.
This provides the user with full authority and control over who gets access to the data, for what purposes and for how long.
The app uses Bluetooth and geolocation to track and trace the movements of individuals, over the two week period prior to them testing positive for the virus.
The data will help the Department of Health to know where to start looking for people who came into contact with a person who has tested positive.
Efforts are also being made internationally by the likes of Apple and Google, who recently announced a Bluetooth-based COVID-19 contact tracing platform.
Below is an infographic of the latest COVID-19 cases in SA:
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