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19 Coronavirus Apps To Get You Through The Boredom And Monitor The Pandemic
From social networking to tracking the virus.
If you do anything today as we contend with yet another week in lockdown 3.0 during the Coronavirus pandemic, it should be to download at least one of these wellbeing and coronavirus apps.
Some of these apps are designed to help you keep track of both how the virus is progressing and also to keep up-to-date on the latest health advice.
But as the majority of us continue to work from home and are still adapting to spending long stints of time between four walls, it’s also important to keep our minds and bodies active.
Fortunately, there are several apps increasing in popularity to curb boredom and keep our minds focussed, whether it’s video call apps in lieu of face-to-face social interaction or trackers that enable users to monitor their health and locate nearby positive or suspected coronavirus-infected individuals.
Here are the best coronavirus apps to download:
BetterHelp – Online Counselling
This free app helps users access professional counselling help from more than 10,000 licensed therapists and counsellors online.
It works by matching your to an available counsellor, 24/7, who can provide unlimited private one-on-one communication and live sessions to gain support and guidance. ‘Different counselors have different approaches and areas of expertise so we’ll work with you to find the right person who can achieve the best results for you,’ it explains online.
‘You and your counselor will get your own secure “room”. This will be your private place to communicate day or night. You can access this room from any internet connected device, wherever you are,’ it adds.
NHS Covid-19
This is the official contact tracing app for England and Wales and is essentially the fastest way of letting you know whether you’re at risk from the virus. ‘The more of us that use it, the better we can control coronavirus,’ the app states on the Apple website.
Its features include:
Trace: Find out when you’ve been near other app users who have tested positive for coronavirus Alert: Lets you know the level of coronavirus risk in your postcode district. Check-in: Use our simple QR code scanner to check-in to venues like bars and restaurants. You will get alerted if you have visited a venue where you may have come into contact with coronavirus. Symptoms: Check if you have coronavirus symptoms and see if you need to order a test. Test: Helps you order a test if you need to. Isolate: Keep track of your self-isolation countdown and access relevant advice.
It’s free to download and a phone essential.
Fiit
Fiit has long been our go-to at-home workout app during the pandemic and we can’t see that changing in 2021.
Whether you want to stretch out the muscle tensions after a hard day working from the soda or get strong and improve flexibility during winter, this fitness platform has hundreds of workouts that you can stream straight to your iPhone, iPad or TV.
A membership (£120) gives you unlimited access to workouts which range in duration from 10 to 40 minutes, led by personal trainers such as Laura ‘Biceps’ Hoggins, Waz Ashayer and Adrienne Herbert.
All Premium subscriptions come with a 14 day free trial and you can cancel your subscription any time. What are you waiting for?
NHS app
This is perhaps one of the most important apps you could have on your phone in 2021. As well as being able to view your medical records and book GP appointments, the app is invaluable right now as it lets users search trusted NHS information and advice if you think you have Covid-19 symptom and provides instant advice or medical help.
Users must be aged 13 and over and registered with a GP surgery in England to use it and be able to prove who they are when setting up an NHS login.
Covid-19 Tracker
This virus tracker allows users to self-report symptoms to help reduce the rate of infection for others.
If a user tests positive for the virus, the app will alert contacts so that they can seek medical care to prevent the spread of the virus. It works by dividing a user into three categories: users that have not tested positive and are asymptomatic are shown as dark green, users that have not tested virus but have symptoms are shown as yellow, and those who self report that they have tested positive are shown in pink.
You can update your information as symptoms change and these colours will be reflected on the app’s map. The app also allows you to keep up-to-date with the latest news about the virus around the world and engage in real-time conversations with other users.
Covid Symptom Tracker
Designed by doctors and scientists at King’s College London, Guys and St Thomas’ Hospitals and health company Zoe Global Limited, this is an essential Covid-19 app right now.
In order to slow down the spread of Covid-19 and identify at risk cases as soon as possible, the app instructs users to take a one-minute test to self-report their symptoms on a daily basis. By self-reporting symptoms, it will help researchers identify how fast the virus is spreading in a user’s area, high-risk areas in the UK and who is at risk, by better understanding symptoms linked to underlying health conditions.
Marquee TV
A fan of the arts?
Well, this app offers contemporary and classical performing arts and cultural programmes, whether you're a culture vulture for dance, opera and theatre or love your concerts, and documentaries.
through the app, you can watch everything from the Bolshoi Ballet and performances at Sadler’s Wells to those at the Arena di Verona Opera, as well as smaller venues throughout the US, Italy, France, Germany, the UK are more.
Youper
Ever heard of an emotional health assistant app? Well, now you have as Youper uses artificial intelligence to help people reduce their anxiety levels, manage their mood and improve their sleep.
Using a range of strategies from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, the makers of the app aim to help users understand their emotions and improve their relationships.
You can use it by having a digital conversation with the app, listen to its mindfulness practices and sleep sounds, monitor your emotions with the mood tracker, learn more about anxiety and depression and take a personality test to understand yourself a bit better.
Zoom
By now, you’re probably well-acquainted with (if not bored by) video conference apps that allow you to start and join meetings with your colleagues as you all work from home.
However, you can also use the app for video calls with friends and family, with its screenshare screen and applications and even backgrounds that you can customise, whether you want it to look like you’re calling from The Shard or on a beach.
TraceTogether
This is a new, free app created by individuals in Singapore especially for Covid-19. It works via Bluetooth and has been made with the idea to help users curb the spread of the pandemic through community-driver contact tracing.
It works by using Bluetooth signals to figure out if you are near another TraceTogether user. If you’ve both been in close contact to someone with the virus, then the app allows the Ministry of Health (MOH) to contact you and provide you advice on what to do.
Headspace
If you haven’t already used Headspace for moments of solace, to help you fall to sleep or soothe your mind as you commute to work, then now couldn’t be a better time to download it.
The app is one of our favourite mindfulness apps with hundreds of guided meditations on everything from managing stress to anxiety and sleep. There are ‘SOS’ sessions for moments of panic or stress, animations to teach your new skills, a move mode to facilitate mindful cardio and workouts and a sleep feature to help you drift off into quiet slumber.
Oh, and did we mention the training is led by a former monk and mindfulness expert?
Daylio
Regularly recommended by therapists to aid with counselling and CBT, this app enables you to keep a private journal – for free – and monitor your daily mood and activities and see if and how they affect each other.
You can add notes to each entry, emojis to help communicate your moods each day, set reminders to prompt your entries, select colours that reflect your moods (which you can also rename), create goals and build new habits and turn on a PIN lock to keep your entries safe.
Think of this as journaling to improve your mindset and monitor your moods and emotions over days, weeks and months.
CDC
One of the most helpful apps to download during Covid-19 is the US’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s app.
It’s the organisation’s website in app form, providing users with up-to-date notifications and advice on how to protect yourselves and treat symptoms and a map that updates at midday every day that tracks confirmed cases in each US state.
Houseparty
Remember the popularity of this at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020? Well, perhaps 2021 is the perfect time to welcome it back in your life?
If you’re struggling with not having face-to-face interactions with your best friends then Houseparty is a must-download. The app is a social network where users can connect with friends and family through video chats.
The app alerts users where others are ‘in the house’, enabling them to strike up a conversation instantly. It’s important to note that the app allows users to simultaneously chat with up to eight friends – perfect for those annoyed by FaceTime and Whatsapp’s four-person limit.
Wordfeud
If you’re seriously bored of playing cards with your housemates or significant other right now, it’s about time you got on Wordfeud. Much like Scrabble, Wordfeud is a puzzle game where you challenge friends to find high scores when landing on a double letters, double word, triple letters or triple word tiles. Better yet, you can play with friends or be matched up against random opponents.
You can also randomise the board and change up where the tiles are placed so it’s different every time and play in up to 30 simulaneous games.
Buh-bye, boredom.
Moodpath
Similar to Youper, this app is perfect for those wanting to keep a tab on their thoughts and emotions during Covid-19.
The app has features that help to assess your mental health, whether it’s by answering daily questions about your emotional and physical well-being or sharing your assessment with mental health professionals. You can also reflect on your thoughts and feelings using its mood tracker and practice modes of CBT with audio and written exercises.
Rave
A game-changer when it comes to hanging out with your friends online, Rave is an app that allows you to watch the streaming service with friends.
Whether it’s a movie night with a date or a film you’d planned on watching with your friends at a sleepover, Rave provides the perfect chance for you and your pals to synchronise video playback and group chat from the confines of your own home.
Freedom
If you’re getting increasingly sick and tired of news updates about Coronavirus, your friends’ endless memes on Whatsapp and regularly find yourself scrolling through Instagram during your lunchbreak, then you might need Freedom.
While you can already set user limits on most android devices, this app enables you to block distractions on all your devices and improve your relationship with technology.
According to the app’s makers, users report gaining two and a half hours of productive and focused time each day because of its features to help fight distraction and technology addiction.
Use it by turning off notification noises, blocking the internet, setting a lock mode and schedule blocks to help make focus and productivity a habit.
Interval Timer ++
Many individuals will be working out at home with the help of online fitness tutorials shared by their favourite personal trainers, celebrities and gyms. However, if you prefer to do things at your own pace and leisure, then you need to download this workout timer for HIIT and Tabata.
Workout durations vary from five seconds to eight minutes, as do repetitions and rests. There are timers for specific exercises, too, whether it’s for planks and jumping jacks or side lunges and butt kicks. It provides a 10-second count down to help you get into your workout position and a calendar view to show each session.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
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