Israeli researchers have developed a method to help identify, monitor and possibly predict future coronavirus outbreak zones that has already received worldwide attention.
The method was devised by experts at the Weizmann institute of Science, together with researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Health Ministry.
This method, which is already being used in several countries, is based on questionnaires for the general public meant that can monitor the development of virus symptoms in a community.
The data is then analyzed by algorithms and artificial intelligence in order to predict where the virus is most likely to spread.
A pilot was launched about a week ago by professors Eran Segal and Benjamin Giger of the Weizmann Institute and Prof. Yuval Dor of the Hebrew University. It drew widespread cooperation from the Israeli public, with about 60,000 people filling out the questionnaires.
From a preliminary analysis of the data, researchers and scientists were able to detect a significant increase in symptoms in locations that were visited by confirmed corona patients.
According to researchers, this method will help authorities predict which cities are most likely to suffer an outbreak, thus helping them center their efforts on where they are most needed.
The Health Ministry has released a map showing the numbers of home quarantine cases in each Israeli community, saying it has a good understanding of how the coronavirus has spread across the country due to increased testing.
Thanks to the map, the general public can now see Israel’s main coronavirus epicenters.
The map shows only cities with more than 5,000 residents, each marked with a circle reflecting the number of quarantined residents. The color of the circle indicates the proportion of each city that is in quarantine - the darker the circle, the higher the percentage.
While the map doesn't provide the number of confirmed cases in each city, it does provide an indication of numbers and how the virus has spread - for while many are in quarantine after returning from abroad, many are also in isolation after coming into contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient.
The map also reflects government statistics on communities with the largest number of quarantined people, including those areas previously announced as facing a blanket quarantine to halt the spread of the virus.