Nepal can prevent second round of COVID-19 infection through Quarantine App

Jay Sah is a successful entrepreneur settled in the United States. He is also a team member of a research team of Nepali scientist and doctors who are projected to make Nepal world’s first country to solve AMR problems because of hazardous use of antibiotic.

Sah argues that even though we succeed to contain the global pandemic, the fear of second round of the COVID-19 infections persists if we do not apply extra measures to properly track the patients who travel from one country to another.

Reporters’ Club talked with Sah to talk about possible measures that could be exercised to prevent the second round of infections. Excerpts: 

What is second round of COVID infection?

After losing billions of rupees on lockdown for a month and more money to identify the infected people, if a few persons spread the infection from abroad to new people at home, it will be called the second round of infection surge. This can easily destroy our economy and waste our entire effort made during the previous lockdown. The second round of COVID-19 surge has already started in China since they have failed to solve this issue completely. What China is missing to stop second round of surge, which is what the entire world needs to find out before we reopen our economy and resume so that we could prevent the second round of infection.

Why China failed to stop the second round of infection and how we can stop this?

China is making a big mistake. They are testing people using thermometer when they arrive at the airport. They may have forgotten that the fever develops in a person only after the incubation period is over. And this is the time when a person with symptoms can infect entire passengers on that flight, as well as infected person can hide fever by taking any antipyretic medicine. What is the benefit of testing fever of an infected person when he/she has already infected everyone in flight? China is missing Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) before passengers boards their flight in departure country. China needs to order all flight carriers to start using RDT kit developed by Abbot Pharmaceuticals last week. This rapid test kit can give positive and negative result in five minutes and has highest accuracy among any RDT around the world. Most of asymptomatic and all symptomatic infected persons can be barred from traveling before he/she enters departing airport. Nepal needs to learn from China’s mistake and needs to order all flight carriers coming to Nepal to act fast, start using world class Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved RDT kit before passengers enter airport.

Will this Rapid Diagnostic Test kit be enough?

No, the rapid test kit also works only if a person has been infected for previous few days. If a person is infected a day or two ago, result may come negative. Those flight carriers need to ask Abbot Laboratories how many days of isolation RDT kit need from an infected person to show result. Now, then will have to develop a quarantine app which can quarantine the traveler for that many days at his/ her house before the flying date. Obviously, gloves and mask are another two more important thing all passengers need during entire flight to stop getting contaminated.

What is this quarantine app?

This is something new that those flight carriers will have to develop. They can coordinate with the World Health Organization and Apple as well as Google who are already working on developing a world class tracking app. The app Apple and Google is developing tells only who and who came in contact with an infected person week or two week ago. But a little modification in this app, flight company can know if a person is moving all over city or is quarantined in his house. The concept is simple. When I book a ticket, I must download this quarantine app and send a confirmation code to airline company then only I will be able to book ticket. Once app is downloaded, this app can’t be uninstalled without the permission of the government of arrival country. So, suppose if I booked a ticket one month ago, the app would remind me week or two week ago to stay quarantine as required by the five-minute RDT kit. There are chances a person may trick app by leaving phone at home and go out for fun and that’s where the rule to keep this app on phone for two weeks more while reaching destination country applies. If he/she developed a symptom after few days and has infected any other person around him, he will get a jail term for breaking the law. This person can’t infect anyone inside the flight because he won’t have symptoms and rapid test kit will have done its work perfectly before passenger gets into the flight. Only the government of Nepal or flight carrier can uninstall this app from person’s phone no one else after second test. Uninstall process will be locked by a code.

Will Nepal government have to develop this Quarantine App?

No, all Nepal government will have to do is place an order for all flight companies to develop this “Quarantine App and RDT kit test report to travelers right before passengers boards the flight. These flight carriers are big corporation, if they ask, Apple and Google can modify their COVID tracking app according to flight carrier’s need in 2-3 days. All carriers will have to buy rapid test kit from Abbot and have it available right before the passengers enters airport. Every country in the world will love this move from government of Nepal. This “TRACK TEST TRACK” is bets system any flight carrier in world can develop to stop 100% infection transfer from one country to another. Before Nepal opens its international flight, all flight carriers will be ready to filter 100% infected persons without any big task. All Nepal government will need is to pass a circulation to all flight carriers operating in Nepal to flow this “TRACK TEST TRACT” system.

How Did you get this idea in your mind?

The new app Apple and Google is struggling to develop today, India developed 4 days ago and named “AROGYA SETU”, Nepal could have become first country in world to develop this app a year ago. I had developed idea of this tracking app two year ago and shared with government of Nepal. I have recorded proof. But, the Government of Nepal ignored my idea to be first country in world to develop this unique tracking app. This app, if developed by Nepal even a year ago, could have saved entire world from coronavirus crisis. This is how my mind works. Therefore, I am leading a team of scientists and doctors who is going to make Nepal’s world’s first country to solve the problem of antibiotic resistant problem in two years from now.

Is there any other way to stop this second round of COVID surge?

Yes, the government will have to develop a virus spread stop kit (VSS KIT) specially developed to suit mass. It doesn’t cost more than NRS 1000-2000. But it can change human behavior of how we eject our virus in air when we are in either asymptomatic or symptomatic infected situation. This kit can be produced in Nepal and we won’t need to import anything from any other country. It is like a first aid kit. Again, Nepal will be the first country in the world to use this VSS KIT. It contains Reengineered masks, handkerchief, tissue paper, and gloves meant to stop 100% viral transfer from a person into air. If government of Nepal wants, I can share my idea of VSS Kit to “QUARENTINE VIRUS INSTEAD OF HUMAN”.