A new COVID-19 app was developed by a New Yorker in less than two weeks for only $50!
Huge Ma, a software engineer for Airbnb in New York, was the one who developed it. Why? Because he discovered that it is quite difficult to make a coronavirus vaccine appointment.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY - MARCH 18: Coronavirus crisis volunteer Rhiannon Navin greets local residents arriving to a food distribution center at the WestCop community center on March 18, 2020 in New Rochelle, New York. New Rochelle has been a hot spot for the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
He said that he tried to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for his mother in early January. Although there were dozens of websites available, he said that each of them has its sign-up protocol and the city and state appointment systems were very different from one another.
"There has to be a better way," he said via The New York Times.
The new TurboVax COVID-19 vaccine appointment site
Because of the hardship he faced, he decided to create a new app called TurboVax. This is a free website that compiles availability from the state of New York and the other three main cities' systems.
Healthcare professionals prepare to screen people for the coronavirus at a testing site erected by the Maryland National Guard in a parking lot at FedEx Field March 30, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. The guard, in cooperation with the state of Maryland and Prince Georges County, said the site will be able to test about 100 people a day for COVID-19 if they have been recommended by a doctor.
The 31-year-old software engineer was able to complete his innovation in less than two weeks and spending only $50! This new website works by sending the available COVID-19 vaccine appointments on Twitter.
His technology is currently very useful since all you need to do is follow the Twitter account and make sure that the notification update is always on.
hi everyone, this is Huge (creator of TurboVax). the account zoomed past 1000 follows yesterday....and then some. this is 100% due to word-of-mouth so i thank you for sharing with your friends and family. i'm truly blown away by it all
(thread)— Huge Ma (@turbovax) February 6, 2021
Compared to the city and state's official systems, this new site offers an easier way to spot available appointments, helping those people who need immediate medical attention.
"It's sort of becoming a challenge to myself, to prove what one person with time and a little motivation can do," said Huge Ma last week.
New COVID-19 vaccine websites are rolling out
The Vice reported that people are forced to create their own COVID-19 vaccine websites. They have no choice since finding a COVID-19 vaccine appointment is really hard in the United States and other parts of the world.
Several medical experts and software developers already made their own websites and apps to help people who really need immediate medical attention. Since they are voluntarily created, it just shows that the states and local governments are also having a hard time accommodating their residents.
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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.
