With lack of testing, Maryland company launches COVID-19 symptom-tracking app
SEAT PLEASANT, Md. (ABC7) — Medical providers are looking for ways to keep people who may be sick from overwhelming hospitals, sometimes looking for testing that isn't available to them.
Now a health tech company is launching a new app aimed at tracking symptoms and identifying potential coronavirus cases -- and the first-in-the-nation program is starting in Seat Pleasant, Md.
"The question still remains, who's going to get tested and when are they going to get tested?" says Dr. Cynthia Macri, the Chief Medical Officer of EagleForce Health.
In place of testing, home disease monitoring.
The app, called MIMI-Rx, is free and available in the app store.
It can be connected to medical devices, including a forehead thermometer and pulse oximeter, which measures the amount of oxygen in the blood. Then, it records those stats, keeping track of likely signs of COVID-19 through an algorithm, and allows you to communicate with your doctor.
"Anywhere from 97-99 percent is considered completely normal, for those people who have lung disease, they know usually what their normal is," says Dr. Macri of the pulse oximeter. "It's very common, you can get one at CVS for $10."
With a socially-distanced announcement, Mayer Eugene Grant announced that Seat Pleasant, Maryland will be the first city to test the app among its vulnerable residents. 20% of Seat Pleasant's population are of senior age.
"We know that we don't want people running out here trying to go to clinics and to the hospital, etc, right now," says Grant.
EagleForce and Freedman Healthcare will provide tablets, WiFi capability, and medical devices to vulnerable Seat Pleasant residents this week.
"As our team is going out in the community, we will see about others who would like to opt-in to the program as well," says Grant.
Developers at EagleForce say the medical information on the app is kept secure using an Amazon cloud.
If successful, the app could cut back on the number of people attempting to access hospitals, and endangering healthcare workers.
