JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has spread globally soon after emerging in China. Whether rich or poor, all nations are struggling to cope with this new global health crisis. The speed of the threat’s emergence and accompanying changes in response makes evident the need for a major reform in pandemic surveillance and notification systems to ensure proper and timely response from the authorities, community and public. The development and implementation of a graded individual-level pandemic notification system could be an effective tool to combat future threats of epidemics. Such notification systems, similar to other emergency alerts, could include a number of threat levels (e.g., Level 1-5) with a higher level indicating increasing severity and intensity of safety measures (e.g., Level 1: general hygiene, Level 2: enhanced hygiene, Level 3: physical distancing, Level 4: shelter in place, and Level 5: lockdown). The notification would be disseminated to the cellular devices via text message (for lower threat level) and push notification (for higher threat level). It would allow the public to be informed about the threat level in real time and act accordingly in an organized manner. Implementing such system would not be without challenges. Extensive preparation and coordination among all levels of government and relevant sectors are required, and such systems may be effective primarily in countries where trust of government bodies is at least moderate. Advance and ongoing public education about the nature of the system and its steps would be an essential part of the system, such that all members of the public know the meaning of each step in advance, much like the expected procedures for other emergency responses. This educational component is of utmost importance to minimize adverse public reaction and unintended consequences. The use of mass media and local communities could be considered where mobile phone penetration is low.