Website created by doctors aims to identify the next COVID-19 hotspot

CovidIQ.org was created by a group of doctors and information technology specialists

Covidiq.org aims to help communities identify COVID-19 outbreaks by getting people to answer one question every other day. (News4Jax)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A group of doctors and information technology specialists from all over the country has combined to create a non-profit that will give users and local, state and federal government agencies more information about the novel coronavirus. It’s called CovidIQ.org.

“Trying to help our community, our country to get ahead of this virus by several days, weeks if we can, to figure out where the next hotspot is," said Mohammed Reza, a Jacksonville-based infectious disease doctor.

Recommended Videos



Reza, along with other professionals across the U.S. from healthcare and IT, founded the non-profit site where people can report their COVID-19 symptoms. Reza encourages those who don’t have symptoms to participate too.

Just text “TOGETHER” to 203-204-9964 and follow the directions.

If you don’t have a phone to text, you can take part on the website, CovidIQ.org. Questions asked include age, gender, ethnicity and symptoms.

“But the reality is most people have no symptoms, so if we can get any idea; and we’re doing this over a span of time over 15 days, you will get a text every five days if you are having symptoms, but if you have symptoms we will text you every 48 hours," Reza said. "This will help us understand ‘Oh this person had no symptoms three days ago, now they are having symptoms,’ let’s follow it out. This will help extrapolate and get our [Department of Health] and government some sort of heads-up. It would give each user control, and how they act and continue on with self-isolating and distancing and recommendations by the CDC.”

Reza said it’s free to participate and the information logged from participants is not stored.

He said you can text ‘STOP’ at any time to stop and text ‘DELETE’ at any time to delete the information you’ve shared.


About the Author:

Zachery “Zach” Lashway anchors KPRC 2+ Now. He began at KPRC 2 as a reporter in October 2021.