Meet KIRA, DOH’s new chatbot aiming to combat false information against COVID-19

covid-19 chatbot doh

With the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country also comes an influx of possible misinformation. The Department of Health (DOH) aims to address this with their newly-launched chatbot which serves as a platform that connects those who have questions about the virus with verified information.

According to the department, the chatbot named KIRA (or Katuwang na Impormasyon para sa Responsableng Aksyon) will serve as a source of reliable information about COVID-19 as well as the enhanced community quarantine guidelines.

During a virtual press conference, DOH undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said, “Inaasahan namin na ang ganitong mga inisiyatiba ay makakabawas sa pagkalat ng fake news at magsisilbing source ng reliable at verified information na mapupuntahan ng lahat.”

As of writing, KIRA is offering its free services through Facebook messenger (via DOH’s official Facebook page) and Viber as well as the website kontracovid.ph.


“Ito ay isang digital triage system mula sa DOH na kukuha ng personal na impormasyon, mga lokasyon, detalye ng sintomas, at exposure para ikaw ay maitala sa database ng DOH para sa health monitoring,” said DOH on the website, adding that KIRA only serves as a guide and is not equivalent to a doctor’s consultation.

The department is also currently looking into giving the public access to the chatbot via “free data” on all platforms by coordinating with different telecommunication companies.

Earlier this April, the University of the Philippines’s COVID-19 pandemic response team also launched a chatbot named Yani which helps provide information about the government’s policies on health, education, transportation and economic support via Facebook messenger and the website https://endcov.ph/. It also assists in linking users to psychologists and psychological support specialists, as well as finding hospitals near their area.

 

Header image by Oliver Graumnitz from Pixabay 

Get more stories like this by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.

Read more:

UP launches a web portal that maps out COVID-19 cases and quarantine facilities

A guide to everything you need to know about COVID-19

ECQ extended for high-risk areas. Here’s a rundown of Duterte’s latest IATF briefing

Writer: YANN MAGCAMIT

slot gacor anti rungkad
ssh premium
slot
situs judi online terpercaya slot online tergacor situs slot gacor catur777 slot online idn poker judi bola sbobet slotgacormaxwin wwwl24.mitsubishielectric.co.jp game slot online QQLINE88 3mbola catur777 slot gacor 2024 slot gacor maxwin resmi
Agen Situs Pkv Games Terpercaya slot online
Situs Judi Bola Online situs idn poker idn poker
daftar gambar togel
PROBOLA agen daftar situs judi slot online terpercaya dengan games pragmatic play yang sangat populer
situs slot pulsa