HARTFORD, Conn. — Governor Lamont is asking every single one of you to pick up your phone and download the "How We Feel" app (You can also use the program on a webpage at howwefeel.org).
It started with an idea from MIT Professor, Dr. Feng Zhang, a molecular biologist, and his high school friend, Ben Silbermann, co-founder of the social media network, Pinterest.
“Maybe if we collect enough information, we can find some unique combination that is unique to COVID-19 and not for other diseases,” says Dr. Zhang. “It turned out that other scientists around the world have also been working on similar ideas. In Israel, at Weizmann Institute, they put out a survey just like this, and they were able to predict new outbreaks geographically several days in advance of what the public health data shows.”
This idea turned into the How We Feel Project, a nonprofit organization focused on collecting data about how people are feeling in order to predict the timeline of the coronavirus pandemic.
“For instance, of all the different types of symptoms-- coughing, fever-- there’s one symptom, the loss of taste and smell, that seems to be very strongly related to COVID-19 and it’s not related to the seasonal flu or seasonal allergies,” says Dr. Zhang. “And so as we collect more data, I think we’re going to start to find even more features that uniquely identify with COVID-19. Using those features, we will be able to make reasonable predictions.”
Connecticut, as the first state to partner with the project, will be able to make public policy decisions based on the data from the program.
“We continue to update our survey as we look to reopen the economy,” says Dr. Zhang. “We ask people, ‘Do you feel safe to go outside now?’ And we’re updating our survey to get a sense of what the general sentiment is. And it can help inform policy makers too.”
We already know about 60% of people in Connecticut wear a facial covering when they go outside. And 60-70% are self-isolating at home. The project also keeps track of people who have been tested positive and how long it takes for them to get results back. In Connecticut, it’s about two to two-and-a-half days.
Since it’s launch two weeks ago,360,000 people, including more than 20,000 people in Connecticut, have downloaded the application or used the website. That also means, 360,000 people have donated a meal to someone in need.
“Every download of the app is matched with one free meal donation to Feeding America,” says Dr. Zhang. “We recognize there’s a huge food shortage, especially in the foodbanks around the country, and many people are hard hit.”
What the State and How We Feel is asking for is your cooperation in helping to measure the pandemic. You can pick up your phone and download the how you feel app on an IOS or Android device. You can also log on to their website to check in at howwefeel.org.