AZCOVIDTXT is a Two-Way Texting System designed to gather health information from all Arizona households so we can stop the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona, and at the same time deliver resources such as food, medicine, healthcare and guidance to those who need them most.
The project will also provide vital pandemic information to a team of researchers led by Kacey Ernst, PhD, associate professor and infectious disease epidemiologist at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
How to participate?
Text “JOIN” to 1-833-410-0546 or visit the website, azcovidtxt.org
Why is it so important for everyone to join
AZCOVIDTXT?
TOGETHER WE WILL BEAT THE VIRUS
This is our chance to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19 and reopen our economy sooner — one text at a time. We all need to do our part, we all need to be counted on AZCOVIDTXT so then we can “see” how the virus is spreading and who needs help. By reporting our health status, we are helping our friends and neighbors, helping our towns and cities, helping our whole state stop the spread of COVID-19, reduce the number of infections and deaths, and get us back to school and back to work sooner.
QUICK and EASY TO USE, ALL ON YOUR PHONE
The AZCOVIDTXT System is so easy to use. You join by texting to the number, and the texts in reply will guide you, all on your phone, it takes just a few minutes. Those few minutes help us all stop the virus, help our neighbors stay healthy, help us all get back to work sooner.
INFORMATION IS OUR SUPERPOWER
The best way to fight COVID-19 is with information. Who is sick, where is the virus spreading? If we all report on the health status of our households, then we will see how the virus is spreading and we can make the best decisions to stop it. We don’t have as much testing as we would like right now, and this information, what scientists call data, will be a big help to decision-makers and health providers so they can deliver the right resources to the right people at the right time.
IT’S ALL ANONYMOUS, SO WE NEED EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE
Everyone should participate. All the information gathered will be anonymous. The AZCOVIDTXT System is built so that everyone’s responses remain anonymous and protected and everyone can feel confident that they are safe. The more who respond, the better the data will be to track the disease and direct essential resources where they’re most needed.
- We do not ask for personally identifiable information such as your home address, names of family members, etc.
- We do not track your IP address, browser, or geolocation.
- The Institutional Review Board at the University of Arizona gave permission for the ethical collection, storage, and analysis of the data collected by the AZCOVIDTXT System.
- To protect access to the information, all data is retained in a secure, institutionally approved system.
- Only summary data is made publicly visible and downloadable on the AZCOVIDTXT website.
WE MAP THE SPREAD
We can’t test everyone at this point, but if our community joins this AZCOVIDTXT service and sends the health status information for their household, we can map the spread of COVID-19 in Arizona so we can fight the virus and help the people who need it most.
WE DELIVER RESOURCES
The COVID-19 outbreak is not just a health crisis, it is also an economic crisis. Many businesses are closed. We are all sheltering at home. Many people need food or medicine or other kinds of support. In order to provide the right resources to the people that need them, we need to know who needs what, and where. That’s what the AZCOVID System will provide.
TRUSTWORTHY INFORMATION FOR YOU
The AZCOVIDTXT System will send you accurate, factual, science-based information so you know what is true and what is false. The System can also deliver customized information to those in need. Need food? We will tell you where to go near you. Need healthcare? We will point you to the right place. Need help? We will connect you with the services you need.
PARTICIPATION STARTS IN TUCSON AND PIMA COUNTY
The AZCOVIDTXT System was created by a team of researchers at the University of Arizona, so we’ll launch the System by asking everyone in Tucson and Pima County to join. The more people that join, the more information we gather, and the better the System works – to map the spread of COViD-19 and deliver resources to the people who need them.
Once we have a big base of participants in Pima County, we’ll expand to recruit Arizonans all over the state, from Yuma to Phoenix to Flagstaff, the Tribal Nations, and all the rural counties too. We need everyone to come together. Together we will beat this virus, get back to work, get back to school.
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