To help users self-track potential virus carriers to contain the spread of COVID19

Last week in Pune when the couple and their child were tested positive, immediately, the health authorities tried and traced back all those people with whom the couple and child came in contact. Tracing helped them detect two positive cases from Mumbai including the cab driver who drove them from Mumbai airport to Pune. A statement then from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of the Public Health Department, Maharashtra then said an “aggressive contact tracing activity” is in progress on a war footing after two Dubai returnees from Pune were found positive for coronavirus.

The last time, I remember reading and hearing about contact tracing was during the wild outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa. The early rollout of all measures alongside contact tracing efforts in Liberia was considered to have played a major role in the rapid decline of the country’s cases in September 2014.

In the current scenario, Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the WHO. The virus is fast spreading and it is imperative to act quickly, cautiously and focus on prevention given that there is no cure yet. In the wake of coronavirus and the call by PM Modi to caution and not panic, GOQii, as a preventive healthcare platform has launched a first of its kind ‘Contact Tracking’ features, to help users track every movement, activity and also track those who have been in close contact with them and this app feature will effectively help in social distancing as is recommended by the WHO.

This app will help especially in cases of a positive detection, where users can immediately backtrack every movement and individuals that one has come in contact with, in the last few days. This will ensure prevention, quick detection of virus carriers and thus curtail the spread of the virus. 

But, before we understand why such an app feature could be important for individuals and public health workers and institutions, it is important to understand What is Contact Tracing and why is it important during an outbreak is important?

Several international research and also the WHO describes that Contact tracing is an important strategy in epidemiology and refers to the identification and diagnosis of those individuals who have come in contact with an infected person. It ultimately aims to reduce the time span required to detect and treat a case of infectious disease and hence significantly minimizes the risk of transmission to the subsequent susceptible individuals. In-fact, contact tracing continues to remain an important measure, as it aids the epidemiologist in containing the infection.

Contact tracing is closely linked with case detection and investigation processes so that subsequent symptomatic patients can be effectively managed.

Contact tracing can feel like drudgery, but in an outbreak, it’s vital to public health. During this current COVID-19 outbreak, contact tracing will help make possible early diagnosis and getting care to people who need it. The information it uncovers also helps public health authorities contain epidemics.

Given this scenario, GOQii felt ‘self-tracking’ is also essential and should be followed to track one’s daily routine. Thus, it has specially updated the app to help users self-track, to the level of keeping a tab on every person one must have come in contact with, like cab sharing apps like Uber, Lyft, Ola, E-commerce and food delivery services like Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy and Zomato. One can record the person’s name, contact number as well as photographs of course with their permission. 

COVID19 Tracking related App Features 

1. Track Body Temperature, Weight, Heart Rate, Blood Sugar and other vitals. 
2. Symptoms like Cough, Cold, Difficulty in breathing etc 
3. Food and activity log with location
4. Log contacts – time spent with people at various occasions
5. Uber, Lyft, Ola rides with driver details
6. Food delivery and other delivery services, name and phone number of delivery persons

You can download the app from Android Store and iOS Store 

 GOQii app follows the privacy policy. The data logged by the user is private to the user. The privacy settings in the app let the users decide whether they want to share their logs publicly, with just their friends or keep them visible only to themselves. 

 GOQii’s Founder & CEO Vishal Gondal believes that the GOQii COVID-19 related App features will help with contact tracing and remote quarantine management. We are hoping that we could play a major role in helping people take all precautions as well as help the government and health authorities, to be able to contain COVID19. We hope our combined efforts will rapidly lead to a better epidemiological understanding of COVID-19. Our goal is to improve the outcomes of the global community—as more people become infected”. “GOQii will do all within its ambit to implement caution as a clarion call by the PM. PM Modi’s efforts are being praised worldwide “as India is ahead of the curve to contain the virus,” Gondal added.

Healthcare authorities and professionals can leverage GOQii’s cutting-edge wearable, artificial intelligence & coaching ecosystem to accelerate COVID-19 surveillance and interventions. GOQii is supportive and open to helping all Government bodies in a step towards prevention and adequate health management. 

Apart from tracking daily activity, GOQii app will also enable users to track symptoms related to coronavirus and distinguishing symptoms including headache, cough, cold, flu and difficulty in breathing etc. Keeping your immunity intact is important in such a crisis situation. Users can have free access for 3 months to GOQii Play live for workouts and access to updates from experts while working out in the confines of your home to avoid social contact.

Ever wondered why we do what we do? Ever wondered why we get up at dawn on any given day, including Sundays? The reason is simple for many of us! It is either for running or cycling. It’s like a ritual and a moment for ourselves. If those reading this blog are into running or cycling you will connect well with what I am saying. It’s an addiction and let me tell you, a good addiction to have.

I have always been interested in history and like to delve deep into understanding how a particular concept evolved. As I was researching a bit on cycling, I came across the fact that the concept of cycling was invented by Baron Karl von Drais, a prolific German inventor way back in the year 1817. Interestingly, what he invented was not exactly the bicycle which we know and use. He invented the walking machine that helped him walk in the royal gardens faster. This device had wheels but didn’t have any gears, chains, and pedals. Also, it moved ahead by pushing his feet against the ground. With an improvement in this technology, this crude device was eventually transformed into the modern-day bicycle.

Source: Wikipedia

Riding a bicycle is a good aerobic and cardio activity. If cycling is done on a regular basis, it can deliver lots of health benefits. According to our recently launched India Fit Report 2019, a survey on how Indians fare on health parameters; cycling has increased to 15% from 10% in the previous year.

This simple form of physical exercise helps in bettering your physical and mental health. It is a low impact form of exercise that helps all ages.

Some Benefits of Riding a Bicycle

• Improves cardio health by strengthening heart muscles
• Lowers resting pulse rate
• Reduces blood fat levels
• Tones muscles and increases flexibility
• Uses both upper body muscles such as chest, shoulders, arms, abs and the back as well as leg muscles such as quadriceps (front thighs), hamstrings (rear thighs), glutes, calf muscles and your hip
• Better blood circulation due to flexibility brings about good joint mobility

Having talked of some of the basic health benefits a simple cycling activity can offer, it also acts as a cheap mode of transport and is environmentally friendly.

In today’s time where we are fraught with terrible environment damages and increased carbon footprint due to many vehicles on the roads, cycling is one way we personally can resort to, to be environmentally conscious. It is reported that Cycling 10 km every day can prevent the emission of at least 1.3 tonnes of greenhouses gases annually.

For beginners who want to take up cycling for regular fitness, start slow as we always say for every other athletic sports such as running. On you first day of cycling, you should not ride for more than 20 minutes. Slowly and steadily get used to the cycle as well as the body movements and then increase the intensity as you go along.

Few Things to Follow When You Take Up Cycling

• Safety Measures: Safety is the first and foremost thing to adhere to while taking up cycling either for health, as a regular sport or as a mode of transport. Never ride a cycle in the outdoor without a proper cycling helmet. Helmet prevents a head injury in case of an accident.
• Proper Clothing: It is important to wear well-fitting clothes. Loose clothes may get stuck during cycling and cause serious problems. Especially if you are riding in the outdoors
• Be Hydrated: Always have plenty of water at hand. Drink water frequently to make up for the possible dehydration caused due to physical activity.
• Stretching: Stretching your muscles is important because it warms up the body and prepares it for the intense physical activity of cycling.

Cycling is an interesting way to keep you healthy physically, mentally and environmentally.

Pollution is an issue that has been eating away at the heart of India for a long time. According to the GOQii India Fit Report 2019, 9 out of 10 people on Earth breathe highly polluted air and 80% of the people living in the city are often exposed to outdoor pollution that exceeds the health standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Among countries that have high levels of air pollution, India leads the way for its consistency in producing hazardous air. The GOQii India Fit Report 2019 conducted a survey among 8 cities to find the most polluted and liveable cities in India. Here is what we found out after carefully analysing the Pollution Index based on three factors i.e Air, Water and Food Pollution.

Pune was voted as the most liveable city in the country, while Delhi was rated as the worst because of the city’s terrible air quality. Chennai was voted as the city with the worst water quality at (3.3), the only city to have water quality which is worse than air. Chennai is recording poor water quality for the second time in the past two years. Pune, as mentioned before, has the best ratings in terms of food (4.0), water (3.8) and air (3.5) when compared to the other major cities of India. Mumbai has a rating of (3.8) for both food and water, while air quality was rated at (3.0).

Bangalore and Kolkata have the same ranking for air, water and food at 3.8, 3.3 and 2.9 respectively. These two cities were rated with the lowest air quality, only behind Delhi which was rated (1.17).

The India Fit Report 2019 asked people to rate the quality of Air, Water and Food in their cities, out of which Air was voted the worst at (3.0) which shows a dip from last year. Water and Food which was rated higher than Air showed a dip in their trends when compared to last year. This is a very serious situation which should be looked into and necessary actions need to be taken to control this downward trend of Air, Water and Food quality.

Out of all the surveys conducted by the Report, it is safe to conclude that Pune is the most liveable city in India because it recorded the highest ratings in terms of Air, Water and Food quality. Pune is also the second in terms of cities with good air quality, only behind Ahmedabad with a better Pollution Index.