Beijing has launched an online platform for people to get medical consultation service at home, helping to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the city announced at a press conference on prevention and control of the new coronavirus-related pneumonia on Wednesday.

According to Feng Guosheng, chief of the Beijing Medical Association (BMA), the platform was developed under the guidance of the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, and the Beijing Hospitals Authority. It took six days to build the platform, which was officially launched on Feb. 1. Baidu is responsible for the development, operation, and maintenance of the platform. More than 10 companies, including Toutiao and Jingyitong, have also set up their sub-platforms to provide online medical consultation support.

On Jan. 29, the BMA issued a notice to call for support from clinical workers with the title of attending physician and above to volunteer for the online consultation platform. In just two days, nearly 2,000 doctors signed up. As of Tuesday midnight, 118,000 people had visited the platform. It has published 54 videos and hosted four live broadcasts to provide information on epidemic prevention and treatment, reaching 1.24 million people. Visitors have posted 4,436 questions, and 4,293 have been answered by the doctors in a timely manner. A total of 11 sub-platforms have organized experts to provide online consultation services through pictures and videos. About 1.46 million people have watched the live broadcasts of medical experts online.

Feng said the platform is free to the public. Most often asked questions at the moment are about whether fevers and coughs are symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection, and ways of preventing the disease. To use this platform, follow the WeChat official account of the BMA.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)