Monitoring the spread of coronavirus in Switzerland
The research group of Prof. Gunnar Rätsch wants to track the spread of coronavirus in Switzerland using a short questionnaire. Every person currently living in Switzerland can participate.
Not everybody who contracts the new coronavirus will get tested for it. The viral disease COVID-19 can have very mild symptoms – or none at all. Gunnar Rätsch, Professor for Biomedical Informatics at ETH Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, and his research group have developed a monitoring system, in which all persons residing in Switzerland can participate.
To take part, one must simply complete a short online survey – preferably several times or even daily. The survey collects data such as the general health condition, any COVID-19 symptoms the person may be experiencing, isolation measures they may be taking and a few details about the household, as well as the postal code. The latter enables the researchers to see where the virus is spreading within Switzerland.
All data are collected anonymously and will also be made available to epidemiological research. The researchers are seeking to coordinate with other, similar projects, in order to combine the data.
Do you live in Switzerland? Take the survey now!