A free online service to help Americans determine whether they need to visit a doctor or be tested for coronavirus is set to launch universally this week.
The telehealth company Ro built the online tool called the Coronavirus Telehealth Assessment and expects to take it nationwide within days.
“If an individual thinks they may be experiencing signs or symptoms of the novel coronavirus, they can complete Ro’s online assessment and, if appropriate, Ro will connect them with a provider, who will follow up via secure messaging, phone or video consultation,” CEO Zachariah Reitano wrote on Medium.
The company usually provides services tailored to men’s health, women’s health and fighting addiction. But the coronavirus pandemic prompted the company to team with infectious disease specialists and provide its services to Americans wondering if they have contracted the virus.
A Ro spokesman said the medical providers on its platform are U.S.-licensed internists, hospital physicians and general practitioners who have coronavirus training following the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and local health departments.
Ro decided to build the tool on a Friday night in late February when it recognized COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, was becoming a threat to the U.S. A team of 40 people worked through the weekend to create the product, which went live March 4 at covid.ro.co.
Ro says it has facilitated 4 million patient-physician interactions in two-and-a-half years, so it has the infrastructure necessary to handle patient demand and unburden others in the health care system.
“As we learn more about the novel coronavirus, we’ll continue to rapidly build features for providers and patients on top of our platform to help in whatever way we can,” said a Ro spokesperson. “We will dedicate whatever resources it takes to be there for our patients.”
The company also is working with the federal government as part of the tech sector’s push to help defeat the coronavirus.
Many technology companies and employees are reprioritizing their work to focus on the coronavirus or to help ease the burden of healthcare and government officials responding to the crisis. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter and YouTube have partnered to fight misinformation about the virus on their platforms.
The cybersecurity company Criticalstart’s employees are working to better simulate the complex protein folding that occurs in viruses to expedite the search for a vaccine.
“The technical community is ready and willing to aid when we can and where we can,” said Quentin Rhoads, the company’s director of professional services.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.