Ask HN: Outreach for Covid-19 longitudinal study proposal?

[william-at-rain]

I'm failing at finding development help for a COVID-19 study initiative. I could use your ideas and critiques.

https://gist.github.com/williamflynt/a1595665b8bf4e30a2a493f...

BACKGROUND:

A small nonprofit called RAIN in Tacoma just bought and set up blood gathering and testing equipment, and they have an antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 ready to go. Sample collection starts next week, with an eye to scaling to many thousands in the Tacoma area. PhDs in immunology, microbiology, and virology are heading up the effort.

They need some technology beyond what they know on the market, and (since it's a nonprofit) they called up volunteers. I'm a volunteer, and I wrote the markdown doc in the gist.

The idea is to make longitudinal studies possible for persons that are tested for COVID-19.

How can I find help to make this happen for our town?

[joshuamcginnis]

Check out the OpenCovid19 Initiative[0]. They have many ongoing sub-projects and a dedicated slack channel for developers. You may find help for your project or that something similar is already in the works.

[0] https://itsfoss.com/opencovid19/

[william-at-rain]

Thank you!

[x0xMaximus]

We've been running a longitudinal self-reported diagnosis, conditions, and risk exposure study. There are many challenges in this [0, 1], but plan to keep collecting into the foreseeable future. Currently operating on a global scale, but could be targeted to a specific geographic region.. - M ([e-mail])

[0] https://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3480.full [1] https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/1/2/e000234

[william-at-rain]

Thanks - I’ll reach out.

[bowheadhealth]

Bowhead Health is working on a similar initiative for COVID-19 and we welcome a potential collaboration [e-mail]

[william-at-rain]

Thanks - I’ll reach out.

[tekram]

I am one of the founders at Luma Health. We may be able to help you out. We could offer app less way of following patients and getting responses from them.

Here is a short video on what is possible: https://youtu.be/escWi-ZuGRo

[william-at-rain]

It looks like you send an automated text to a questionnaire. That’s a much simpler way to start, and a text is a great “push notification”... :-)

[krrrh]

Email is in my profile. We launched a citizen science app that already handles thousands of participants in our first two studies. Lots of alignment with where you’re going, and at the very least we can offer some advice.

[william-at-rain]

Emailed. Thank you.

[axegon_]

Nice initiative but you'll struggle to publish the app on the app store and Google play(mildly put) with all their restrictions in relation to COVID19.

[william-at-rain]

I wonder if there is a way to engineer our past that in the first month.

Maybe a web-based PWA while we wait for approval.

And not specifically calling it a COVID-19 app.

[axegon_]

I am in fact with Google and Apple on this one - just don't. There's way too much misinformation and speculation already. Not necessarily a result of malintent, just the way sensations work these days as a result of the cattle mentality demonstrated by the masses I'm afraid.

For many years I've been strongly opposing the so-called "wisdom of the masses".