Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Health (DOH) have jointly launched the first investigation and contact tracing system in the emirate. Named the "Contact Tracing Assistant System", it is designed to provide necessary help and support to COVID-19 infected people over virtual chat.

The system has been launched with the aim of expanding the scope of COVID-19 investigations in the emirate in order to make it more comprehensive and enhance the prevention of COVID-19 transmission among members of the community. The system will facilitate efficient communication with COVID-19 positive cases to provide them with necessary assistance in the shortest possible time.

As soon as an infected individual receives their COVID-19 test result, the system automatically sends them a message with a link for virtual chat. Through the link, they are required to complete their Emirates ID verification. Once verification is completed, the user will have to answer specific questions in order to complete the process.

According to authorities, the system will help the emirate's investigation and contact tracing team in collecting important information, such as people returning from abroad or workplaces and those who recently came in contact with a positive case, with the aim of boosting the investigation process.

Furthermore, the system will ask a list of possible contacts 48 hours before the positive result to initiate vigilance. The authorities have assured that all the information collected from users will remain confidential and will not be shared with any third party outside the investigation team. At the same time, the data will be reviewed by the Centre's team to ensure safety of information. The team will also make necessary calls to complete any unclear or missing information from the system.

As of now, the system is available only in two languages - Arabic and English.

During the launch event, DOH Chairman Abdulla bin Mohamed Al Hamed thanked the UAE's leadership for their continuous support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as it helped Abu Dhabi in achieving remarkable accomplishments in curbing the spread of the virus. Abu Dhabi is leading the world globally with its proactive response to the pandemic and ensuring the health and safety of all community members.

He noted that new system will help in limiting the transmission and boosting the safety of all community members.

"Abu Dhabi has led by example and used advanced technology in tracing virus transmission. We praise all the efforts shown by the centre since the beginning of the pandemic," Al Hamed added.

In addition, Matar Al Nuaimi, Director-General of ADPHC, said the new collaborative system will help in better communicating necessary information with patients and possible contacts as well as taking appropriate preventative measures to assist each individual.

WAM