Siri update brings coronavirus screening options, here’s how to use them
- mar
- 22
"Hey Siri, do I have coronavirus?"
What you need to know
- You can now ask Siri if you have coronavirus.
- The assistant will ask you questions from the CDC and the U.S. Public Health Service.
- Depending on your answers, it will guide you to the appropriate help.
If you are concerned you might have COVID-19 and want to run your questions by someone, you can now do so by asking Siri.
Reported by CNBC, Apple has released an update to Siri with information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Public Health Service.
Users can now ask "Hey Siri, do I have coronavirus?" and Siri will lead them through some questions to help determine if they should seek medical help. It will ask users if they are exhibiting the symptoms most commonly linked to COVID-19 such as a fever, dry cough, or shortness of breath.
Apple released a COVID-19 symptom triage tool within Siri. Ask "how do I know if I have coronavirus?" and it'll walk you through a CDC-approved flow.
— Alexis Córdova (@acordova) March 21, 2020
This is what voice assistants should be for.
If you answer that you are having extreme or life-threatening symptoms, Siri will advise you to immediately call emergency services and seek medical help.
If you say that you are exhibiting symptoms but they are not life-threatening, Siri will tell you to stay home and avoid contact with other people. It recommends reaching out to your doctor if your symptoms worsen.
For those who may be interested in getting connected to a doctor from home, Siri will also link you to some telemedicine options available on the App Store.
The upgrade to Siri is currently only available to users in the United States and is unclear if or when it will become available to users internationally.