Staff Reporter
A website and an Android mobile app have been developed to provide essential information about the outbreak of Covid-19 in Namibia. These national platforms contain news, statistics, advises and tips, testing centres, frequently asked questions, official circulars and other general information about the pandemic.
This was created as part of several virtual hackathon projects that are currently underway, where more than 90 NUST lecturers and students, other local and international professionals are developing technology responses to Namibia’s Covid-19 challenges. The teams are working remotely and connecting via a variety of internet communication platforms. The virtual hackathon kicked off on 18 March 2020 at NUST.
The team comprises of representatives from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), NUST’s Faculty of Computing and Informatics staff and students, as well as other local and international experts. Prof. Anicia Peters is the overall coordinator.
Other projects include misinformation and sentiment analysis on social media, and a self-reporting application to report symptoms, a map of where outbreaks are occurring and locating testing and help centres. The UNDP Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), hub powered by the Accelerator Lab, has offered support for the virtual hackathon.
The website is accessible at www.covid19namibia.com. The Namibia Covid-19 Android app is available on Google Play.