Paul Morris on March 24, 2020, 10:37 pm

Apple Updates Siri With A Coronavirus Symptoms Triage Tool In Line With The CDC

Apple has taken the initiative to update Siri and allow its digital assistant to provide advice and guidance to those who are concerned about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Siri users are now able to ask the digital assistant a plethora of questions to gain more information about the novel coronavirus.

It seems that Apple has been working on this functionality and that it started to go live over the weekend with a number of users reporting that they were first able to ask questions and get specific answers on Saturday.

Questions like “how do I know if I have coronavirus?” are available and will return relevant information from Siri giving advice based on things like known symptoms and what individuals can look out for.

Asking a coronavirus-based question – such as “how do I know if I have coronavirus?” kicks Siri into action with what appears to be a built-in wizard that talks about symptoms. Siri responds with the following:

If you’re worried you might have coronavirus (COVID-19), a few questions can help you understand your situation.

(Answers from the US Public Health Service with the CDC.)

Ready to begin?

If the user responds to the affirmative, then Siri then proceeds to talk about known symptoms and asks if you are experiencing any of those symptoms, such a fever, a dry cough, or if you are experiencing any difficulties in breathing. If you answer “yes” to those questions, then Siri provides guidance and advice based on information provided by global health organizations:

Symptoms like fever, dry cough, or trouble breaking, are common signs of coronovirus (COVID-19). Stay home, and spearste yourself from others.

Contact a medical provider if your condition worsens, you’re age 65 or over, or you have a serious medical condition like lung or heart disease, or diabetes.

For those who may not be able to reach a healthcare provider, Siri also then provides quick direct links to Telehealth apps on the App Store, accessible with a single tap. Initially, this only seemed to be showing up for US-based device owners but it seems that Apple has also extended the capability as we could access all of the relevant information from the United Kingdom.

If you are concerned about coronavirus, or want to know more about the symptoms, it’s definitely work seeing what Siri has to offer.