NCOVI, a health reporting app launched by the Vietnamese government, has become one of the most downloaded apps by both iOS and Android users, broadcaster VOV reported.

One week after the app was made available, it relegated Facebook to the second spot on the Apple Store in Vietnam and climbed to the third place on the Google Play as of March 15, according to statistics of the Department of Informatics under Ministry of Information and Communications.

NCOVI ranks among of the most downloaded free apps on Android (left) and iOS (right). Photo: Dien Tu magazine

The app is significant in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic which has spread to 162 countries and territories, leaving 182,669 infections and 7,173 deaths.

The app was created by the Ministries of Information and Communications and Health for universal health declaration and disseminating information about the Covid-19 epidemic.

Both ministries encourage the public to download the NCOVI app and provide information to support the health sector's efforts in the fight against the epidemic.

Citizens can update their daily health status and also provide information to the best of their knowledge about cases suspected of catching Covid-19 in their residential areas. Health declaration is useful for health agencies to update on the health status of local people, and thus take timely solutions.

While NCOVI is designed for Vietnamese, the ministries introduced the Vietnam Health Declaration app on both iOS and Android operating systems for foreigners.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that these applications are effective tools to help managers and people actively and effectively prevent the epidemic.

Vietnam has so far recorded 61 infected cases, of them, 45 have been detected since March 6, after 22 days without new cases of infection.