UCT alumni build ‘Coronapp’ platform

20 March 2020 | Story Carla Bernardo. Photos Supplied. Read time 5 min.
Coronapp was built in just one weekend and is mobile friendly.
Coronapp was built in just one weekend and is mobile friendly.

In an effort to quell panic and provide South Africans with reliable and accurate information about the coronavirus (COVID-19), two University of Cape Town (UCT) alumni have built Coronapp, a centralised online platform for information about the disease.

Tamir Shklaz and Wisani Shilumani are the brains behind Coronapp.

Shklaz recently graduated from UCT with a degree in electrical and computer engineering. Since graduating, Shklaz has been working full-time on his start-up, Quillo, which he began working on during his third year at UCT. Quillo is a digital marketplace for second-hand textbooks and other items needed at university.

“I am incredibly passionate about empowering people through the use of technology and education,” said Shklaz.

Shilumani graduated from UCT in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He started developing apps and websites as a side passion while he was studying, the most notable of which is WeSit, an on-demand babysitting platform. Shilumani is currently working full-time at Allan Gray, doing what he loves most: software development.

UCT News spoke to Shklaz and Shilumani to find out more about Coronapp, the reason they built it, the features available to users and what they’ll need to make it as accessible to as many South Africans as possible.

Shklaz and Shilumani having a bit of fun with the elbow greeting.

Who is the target audience for Coronapp?

The target audience is all concerned South African citizens who are seeking reliable and up-to-date information about the COVID-19 outbreak.

Why did you build the platform?

Coronapp is a centralised repository for relevant and accurate information regarding COVID-19 in South Africa. Its purpose is to make reliable information highly accessible to South Africans to help people and prevent panic.

We saw a great deal of misinformation about the outbreak and the nature of the virus circulating on social media. The fake news around the outbreak not only created a great deal of uncertainty, but was incredibly dangerous; there were trends such as gargling bleach or supposed home remedies that could cure the virus.

Additionally, the best possible way for us to fight the virus is to flatten the curve – decrease the speed at which the virus spreads, through social distancing.

Coronapp not only informs people about the basics of the virus but encourages those of us who can afford to stay at home to practise social distancing to lessen the load on the South African healthcare system.

At the time we created the platform, there wasn’t a centralised platform where individuals could get reliable and up-to-date information. Coming from software development backgrounds, we knew a well-built platform could help South Africans protect themselves and their families from the outbreak.

How long did it take to build?

It took us one weekend to build it. We worked around the clock from morning until late at night throughout the weekend. However, development is an ongoing process of adding features that are most helpful to people using it.

Who are you choosing to aggregate news from and why? Particularly the Twitter section.

The Twitter section only shows tweets from the National Department of Health. This ensures only accurate information is displayed in real-time as the government releases more reports.

The other news sources come from a variety of places. We chose only high quality, understandable and actionable information that could help answer the following questions: What is coronavirus? How can I protect myself and others? What is social distancing and how do I implement it? What are some of the myths around the coronavirus? What are the most up-to-date actions of the South African government in response to the virus?

Is the platform mobile-friendly? And is the data zero-rated? Is this something you’d consider asking service providers about?

Yes, 90% of our traffic is from mobile devices. The website is highly optimised for cellphones, and Android users can even download the site as an app to their cellphone.

We would love to make the platform zero-rated and are currently in conversations with government bodies to get broader support.

On that note, what kind of help are you guys looking for?

The platform has already helped thousands of South Africans. However, with the help of a large partner, the platform can make a significant difference in the fight against the outbreak. We are currently searching for institutional partners, government non-profits or large companies to help raise funding for further development of the platform and to spread awareness.

If anyone reading this has contacts that may be interested in supporting the platform, please get hold of us through the contact form on the website.


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Coronavirus Disease 2019 updates

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March and implement a national lockdown from 26 March.

UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated regularly with the latest COVID-19 information.

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Friday, 5 February 14:20, 5 February 2021
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Campus communications


New SRC and other updates 16:44, 4 November 2020
Virtual graduation ceremonies 13:30, 21 October 2020
Online staff assembly and other updates 15:09, 30 September 2020
Fee adjustments and other updates 15:21, 16 September 2020
Call for proposals: TLC2020 10:15, 26 August 2020
SAULM survey and other updates 15:30, 5 August 2020
COVID-19 cases and other updates 15:26, 5 August 2020
New UCT Council and other updates 15:12, 15 July 2020
Upcoming UCT virtual events 09:30, 15 July 2020
Pre-paid data for UCT students 14:25, 22 April 2020
Update for postgraduate students 12:55, 20 April 2020
UCT Human Resources and COVID-19 16:05, 19 March 2020
UCT confirms second COVID-19 case 09:15, 19 March 2020
Update on UCT COVID-19 response 13:50, 11 March 2020
Update on COVID-19 17:37, 6 March 2020

Resources

Video messages from the Department of Medicine

Getting credible, evidence-based, accessible information and recommendations relating to COVID-19

The Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, are producing educational video material for use on digital platforms and in multiple languages. The information contained in these videos is authenticated and endorsed by the team of experts based in the Department of Medicine. Many of the recommendations are based on current best evidence and are aligned to provincial, national and international guidelines. For more information on UCT’s Department of Medicine, please visit the website.


To watch more videos like these, visit the Department of Medicine’s YouTube channel.

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Statements from Government



 
 

In an email to the UCT community, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said:
“COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, is a rapidly changing epidemic. [...] Information [...] will be updated as and when new information becomes available.”

 

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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