Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DOH), announced the launch of the first investigation and contact tracing system in the region – the Contact Tracing Assistant System. The system is designed to conduct a virtual chat with positive Covid-19 cases.
The goal of this system is to expand the scope of Covid-19 investigations to be more comprehensive, in order to help predict and prevent community transmission, and to communicate efficiently with positive cases in the shortest possible time.
On this occasion H.E. Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Hamed, Chairman of DOH, expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation towards the UAE’s wise leadership for their continuous support, which enabled Abu Dhabi to make remarkable achievements in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, to lead by example globally, and to ensure the health and safety of the emirate’s community, in line with the directives of the wise leadership since the beginning of the pandemic.
Al Hamed said: “Abu Dhabi has led by example and used advanced technology in tracing virus transmission. The new Contact Tracing Assistant System will help in controlling the transmission and ensure the health and safety of all members of the community. We praise all the efforts shown by the centre since the beginning of the pandemic.”
Matar Al Nuaimi, Director General of ADPHC, said: “We always strive to develop the medical response capabilities, especially with Covid-19 investigations. This collaborative system will contribute toward better communication with patients and possible contacts, and will allow us to take the appropriate preventative measures towards each case. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the centre has worked to develop human and material capabilities, under the directives of the wise leadership and alongside members of society, to control the spread and ensure the protection and safety of everyone today, as well as in the future.”
Once a positive case receives their Covid-19 result, the system automatically sends them an SMS with a link for the virtual chat. After verification of his\her Emirates ID is completed, the person will proceed with dialogue by answering specific questions to complete the process.
The system allows the investigation and contact tracing team to gather necessary information, such as who is returning from abroad, or a workplace, or who has recently come in contact with a positive case, to expand the investigation process. It will also ask for a list of possible contacts 48 hours before the positive result. The information obtained will be considered confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside the investigation team. In addition, the centre’s team will review the data entered and make any necessary calls to complete missing or unclear information.
The system is available only in Arabic and English.
ADPHC plays a major role in the investigation of Covid-19, pioneers spreading awareness of the disease, and aims to achieve its ambitious vision of moving towards a healthy and safe society.
