COVID-19: Here's a Free, 5 minute Online Screening Tool

There is currently an explosion of information, comments and opinions on COVID-19 on the internet and social media. We believe that on serious topics in general, and on public health matters in particular, it is essential to rely on facts and seek credible, expert information. Our mission at Alea remains to bring you the best information and advice, so you can make the best choices for you and your family.

In clinics or hospitals, in person or over the phone, the triage for COVID-19 is usually done the same way. It consists of questions about your symptoms, underlying health conditions and recent exposure.

A new free, online tool available on Symptomate allows you to do that in just a few minutes and instantly get advice and resources based on your location. While certain locations (e.g. Hong Kong) are not yet listed for the guidelines, this tool can be very helpful.

Important: note that this is not a COVID-19 test per se, but rather an initial online screening tool to help you assess your risk level, and access useful resources.

What is Symptomate?

Developed by Infermedica, Symptomate is a free artificial intelligence tool available in 9 languages. It uses a large database of medical information to analyze your symptoms anonymously, find potential causes and connect you to the relevant services.

Source: Symptomate Homepage

COVID-19 check-up: How it works

Developed by Infermedica and the insurance provider Cigna, this web-based interactive triage tool assesses COVID-19 risk. Depending on your answers, the tool will ask you the most relevant questions. Here’s how the assessment works.

1. Questions about underlying health conditions to establish risk level

2. Questions about your symptoms

3. (If necessary) Questions about any close contact

Want to speak to a doctor but don’t want to incur the risk of going to a hospital or clinic? Here are some of your options for online consultations in Hong Kong.

This tool allows the user to access clear, trusted information and protocols (taken from official government databases) based on their location. Even without local guidelines, this tool remains very useful in determining whether you should test for COVID-19.

As for Hong Kong, guidelines can be found on the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) website. They have also set up a hotline for any public enquiry about COVID-19: +852 2125 1122.