Bots, virtual assistants with different functionalities, were used in the pandemic to answer citizens' questions related to COVID-19 and to schedule vaccinations.
As the Uruguayan government confirmed the first cases of coronavirus in the country, the Minister of Health announced the availability of a 24-hour hotline (0800 1919) for personalised consultations. At the same time, it was reported that a chatbot and an application would be made available as complementary tools to decompress the call load, and thus ensure the automatic processing of all incoming requests.
What is a chatbot and how does it work?
A chatbot is a technological solution through which a user can have a conversation with a virtual assistant (robot) through the Internet, on web portals or through messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, in order to answer questions, make purchases or even request money loans.
These virtual assistants vary in their complexity, and sometimes, using artificial intelligence techniques, the robots learn and perfect their responses to such an extent that the user may find it difficult to distinguish whether he or she is chatting with a robot or a person.
In this way, conversational technology becomes a key ally in combating COVID-19. Thanks to technological advances in natural language understanding and the processing of large amounts of information in conjunction with artificial intelligence, it allows the protagonist to be a robot on one side of the conversation, but still feel like a human providing a clear answer at any time of the day.
The chatbot of the Ministry of Public Health
In this case, the chatbot of the Ministry of Public Health responds automatically to requests with pre-configured information and allows coordinating medical consultations in case of suspicion of COVID-19 infection.
The UY Coronavirus Plan chatbot (implemented by Hey Now, a member of the Quantik group), like the other communication channels, uses content specially designed by the Public Health Epidemiology Directorate to inform users who have questions about COVID-19, assist those who have symptoms or have been in contact with infected people, and gather information at the national level to better contain the spread of the virus.
Listen to the interview with Rodrigo Cetrángoloproduct and pre-sales manager at Hey Now.
Bots around the world
In Spain, Carina is the bot that provides answers about the coronavirus and is available for any public institution to place on its website. The most consulted topics are related to symptoms, definition of the coronavirus, risk areas and forms of protection.
Argentina with its WhatsApp chatbot called Boti, which existed prior to the pandemic, was developed by the government of the city of Buenos Aires. In addition to providing information to users, it helps identify possible infected people and sends information on suspected cases to health authorities to activate the corresponding protocols.
It is already installed in public entities in Spain, Colombia, Chile and Guatemala. In Mexico, COVIDbot is the chatbot that fights against misinformation about the coronavirus, using official data and recommendations from official bodies as input for its responses.
At the same time, one of the functionalities allows the bot to indicate the name and location of the nearest certified laboratory for a COVID-19 test by indicating the location of the bot.
Original note published in 970 Universal.
