ABU DHABI, 25th April, 2020 (WAM) — The Ministry of Health and Prevention, Abu Dhabi Health Authority and Dubai Health Authority have jointly launched an app named ALHOSN UAE for smart phones and devices. This new app, which can be downloaded on Android and IOS devices is free of cost, and will be an official digital platform for COVID-19 tests in the UAE. This is a national initiative aimed at supporting the Government’s efforts to contain the pandemic.

The easy to use app combines the benefits of STAY HOME and TRACE COVID, the two apps previously launched by the Department of Health. It also guarantees high degree of privacy protection to the users through artificial intelligence and other technological tools.

The app, which carries the name of Abu Dhabi’s historic fort, allows individuals to benefit from services developed in the country, including receiving COVID-19 test results on their phones. Every user will have a unique QR code, which will serve as a guide on his health status, allowing him to go to public places and interact with others comfortably and confidently.

The ALHOSN UAE app depends on the use of short-term Bluetooth signals, to show whether the person is in close proximity to people who have had contact with patients infected with the Covid-19 virus. This is possible if they also have the same app on their phones as the phones exchange the metadata stored in them. The app is also encrypted and the data remain only on the user’s phone. Through this data, the competent health authorities can quickly identify people at risk of transmission to them so that they can communicate with them and retest them again.

ALHOSN UAE application also provides a service that shows the extent to which people in home quarantine adhere to the instructions and avoid contact with other people. This is all aimed at protecting the people in quarantine as well as the rest of the society.

In this context, Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, explained that the app ALHOSN UAE harnessed the latest mobile phone technologies to help control and contain the Covid-19 virus, stressing that the UAE Government will spare no effort in maintaining the safety and health of all citizens.

The Minister pointed out that the new app being easy to use was the latest solution that Ministry developed, in cooperation with other relevant health authorities, to response to the Coronavirus epidemic. He said that containing the virus required collective efforts by the Government and all segments of the Emirati community – citizens and residents alike. Translating the benefits of the app into actuality demands commitment from all and its use on a large scale, he stressed.

Al Owais emphasized that all people in the UAE must download the app, and encourage their families and friends to do the same. “We can contain this virus only if we all act together, each one giving the others protection and peace of mind,” he added.