York residents can help the NHS with research into coronavirus by using a simple phone app.
More than 4,600 people in the city are already logging health information with the Covid-19 Symptom Study app, developed by health science company Zoe.
And City of York Council is urging more residents to sign up.
The latest data from the app shows there is an estimated rate of 466 active coronavirus cases per million people in York according to the tracker.
Residents do not need to have coronavirus symptoms to sign up for the app – and the information tracked helps researchers predict infections.
Useful insights
Dr Andrew Lee, from NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “The ask here is for people to share information with researchers about their health and their social activities since the start of the pandemic and then provide daily reporting.
“The app is an important way to study the symptoms of Covid-19 and track the spread of this virus, which ultimately will impact on the health of our patients and the wider public.”
Cllr Carol Runciman added: “This research is already providing useful insights and I would encourage York residents to help if they can by downloading this app.
“This adds to existing measures already in place, such test and trace and our robust infection control measures.
“Research is also being shared at a local authority level which will help inform responses to coronavirus. We take privacy issues very seriously and have been assured by the developers that the app meets all security and privacy standards.”
For more information about the current rate in York or to download the app visit covid.joinzoe.com