Worried You Have COVID-19? Emory Has A Website To Check

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Emory doctors have created a website that allows users to assess how likely it is they have coronavirus.

Emory doctors have created a website that allows people to assess symptoms of coronavirus.

The website, C19check.com, is a free tool that asks users a series of questions about their overall health and how they're currently feeling. Afterward, it gives an assessment of how likely their current symptoms align with those of COVID-19.

The website was created as a guide for the public if hospitals continue to be overwhelmed, Emory University School of Medicine Director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine Section Dr. Anna Yaffee said.

"We were worried about the general public having good information that they can assess the risk and what to do," Yaffee said. "But also this is a way to mitigate the potential emergency departments surge that we may see if there's a lot of patients infected."

The website is based on a previous tool developed during the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, which was used to help patients triage themselves and determine their risk of illness. The new website was adapted around the symptoms of COVID-19 and their risk factors.

Yaffee is hoping the site becomes a popular resource, and Emory is taking steps to make it available to as many people as possible.

"We're planning to white label it for anyone to be able to host it, it'll be available widely," she said. "We're hoping to partner with a couple other institutions potentially to get broad access as well."

The site showcases how valuable a resource the internet has become as the pandemic continues.

"I think we've already seen the internet playing a big role with memes and 'flatten the curve' and all these hashtags," Yaffee said. "I think it's helping illustrate a point that maybe would have been lost without the internet."

While the website is not meant to serve as an official diagnosis, the team at Emory hopes it will give those at home some clarity if they begin to feel sick.

"I know it's a really scary time, especially without really widespread access to testing," Yaffee said. "And so we want people to know, 'OK, these these symptoms may be associated with coronavirus. Stay home, socially distance, wash your hands and keep checking back if your symptoms deteriorate.'"