New app tells you when you've come in contact with a coronavirus patient

A woman wearing a mask checks her mobile phone in Shanghai, China January 29, 2020

(photo credit: REUTERS/ALY SONG)

The Health Ministry's new app is called "The Shield" ("HaMagen"), and it permits individuals to recognize whether they have interacted with a known coronavirus transporter and what they ought to do.

The Health Ministry launched another app on Sunday called "The Shield" ("HaMagen"), which permits individuals to distinguish whether they have come in contact  with a known coronavirus carrier in the 14 days going before the patient's diagnosis of the infection.


The Health Ministry said in an statement that "the app is a technological device designed to give each and every one of us the ability to know quickly and accurately if we have been in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus. This way we can stop the spread of the virus and protect those close to us," the announcement said.

"The app allows you to get a notification (time and date) regarding your exposure to a confirmed patient."

The ministry emphasized  that the application stores data in regards to your areas exclusively on your gadget and cross-references it with the Health Ministry's updated epidemiological information.


Health Ministry data is continually being updated, and sent to gadgets unilaterally for cross-referencing purposes.

Cross-referencing is done on the gadgets themselves, and if there is a crossover the application diverts the client to a link to the Health Ministry's site, which will tell you what steps to take and allow you to report to the Health Ministry for home isolation. "

The application is available  in the Google Play store and Apple's AppStore.