UCC launches Covid app for safe campus attendance

A very quiet campus at UCC as students receive lectures online. Picture: Dan Linehan

University College Cork (UCC) has launched a new Covid-19 app to help protect staff, students and the wider community.

Developed in collaboration with Ergo, an IT consultancy business, the Cork university is the first in the country to produce a Covid-19 app for staff and students that checks for coronavirus symptoms ahead of a campus visit. 

App users are asked to log daily a self-check of their symptoms in order to generate a campus pass for on-site attendance. 

Originally conceived for UCC’s healthcare students to safely attend their clinical work placements, the app's data was monitored by UCC Student Health along with the university's IT services to inform necessary interventions. 

Feedback was positive, according to Dr Michael Byrne, Head of UCC Student Health and said the decision to roll out the app for the entire university community was followed through as a result. 

“The feedback from this cohort of students and their placement settings was overwhelmingly positive, prompting the decision to now roll this app out to all UCC staff and students, in keeping with the HSE’s health and safety guidelines” said Dr Michael Byrne.

Dr Byrne described the app as "another layer to help protect our students, staff and community during these anxious times". 

UCC's decision to launch the app comes as public health professionals have praised the student population of Cork City for their compliance with Covid-19 guidelines. 

The acting director for public health in Cork and Kerry, Dr Anne Sheahan said the declining rate of new Covid-19 cases among the 19-24 age group is evident of the cohort's efforts to contain the spread of the virus. 

Dr Sheahan has said the current restrictions on socialising have been difficult for young people who have been asked to sacrifice a lot in an important stage of their lives. 

Coman Burke, a digital business development manager with Ergo said the joint project with UCC was an example of how two organisations can develop Covid compliance solutions using technology. 

"Uptake and feedback has been very positive which helps promote a safer university and ultimately wider community. 

"Our Covid related enterprise grade solutions provide a suite of user-friendly apps that address the necessary planning, booking and compliance challenges that organisations are going to have to live with for the foreseeable future," he said. 

UCC Student's Union have supported the app's rollout. 

The app is not compulsory but the university is encouraging staff and students to download it. 

Where no Covid-19 symptoms are present, the app will generate a green pass indicating that it is safe for a person to attend campus.

When Covid-19 symptoms are present, the app will generate a red pass advising against attending campus. 

The app is available for desktop and both android and mobile devices.