DECRYPTION
What if artificial intelligence helps in the fight against coronavirus? In any case, this is what researchers from Inserm and the University of Paris hope who have launched AlloCOVID, a telephone platform intended to "inform and ensure real-time monitoring of the epidemic thanks to the artificial intelligence". Guest of Europe 1, Xavier Jouven head of the cardiovascular department at the European Georges-Pompidou hospital and team director at Inserm, returned to the operation of AlloCOVID, available to everyone this Monday.
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The AlloCOVID number (0 806 800 540, consultable seven days a week and 24 hours a day), is "very simple", begins Xavier Jouven. Not surcharged, this automatic platform allows an individual who would like to learn about their state of health to answer a series of questions. "At the end, we tell him the different cases that correspond to his situation," explains Xavier Jouven.
"Inform citizens who have questions" about their state of health
These questions, which are adjusted according to the answers given, are taken from the Ministry of Health's online test. "There are questions about the symptoms and questions about the risk factors, to find out for example if the caller has a history," says the team director at Inserm.
"Simply put, it's more fun because it's someone who talks." Because the objective of AlloCOVID "is absolutely not to replace medical care", reassures Xavier Jouven, but "to inform citizens who are asking questions". "As soon as there are signs of gravity, they are told to call 15".
A deconfinement tool
Calling the AlloCOVID number is also "a civic gesture", advises the team director at Inserm, "because a person who will telephone will provide information at the national level where there are symptomatic people", justifies he. "If we ask people for the symptomatology, we will have lots of data (...) This is very important", to advance in the research, says the doctor.
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And this data could be "very useful during deconfinement". "Because if we realize that there are ten or fifteen additional cases in a municipality, we can say, 'be careful, potentially it's a new cluster'", and therefore contain the epidemic on a case-by-case basis, continues Xavier Jouven. "At that time, we will send the data (fully anonymized, editor's note ) to Santé Publique France which will be able to take charge at the local level before it can spread", he concludes.