Two Daegu Middle School Students Created 'CoronaNow'... Donating Masks with the Profits

Photo by CoronaNow site capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] A website called 'CoronaNOW,' which provides information on the domestic and international status of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), created by two middle school students living in Daegu, is gaining attention.

CoronaNOW offers a variety of information related to COVID-19, including domestic and international status, real-time news, and the number of confirmed cases in Korea, based on data provided by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also allows easy access to the current number of patients undergoing tests and the status of discharged patients.

The site was reportedly created by Choi Hyung-bin (16) and Lee Chan-hyung (16), both third-year students at a middle school in Suseong-gu, Daegu.

Choi plans the content for the webpage, while Lee collects the necessary data from sources such as the Korea CDC and delivers it to Choi.

The site’s introduction states, "We are still middle school students studying development. There may be some inexperience in development or delays in updates."

According to Yonhap News on the 24th, Choi started creating the site and application (app) on the 3rd and it took about a week to complete.

In an interview with Yonhap News, Choi said, "Other site developers said they made their sites in one day, but we took a long time because we searched Google and referred to examples in coding books even when writing a single line of code."

Lee said, "It is unfortunate that confirmed cases have recently increased in the Daegu area. We are posting the CoronaNOW address on internet cafes and sites centered around the Daegu region, and we hope it will be helpful to local people."

In particular, the two plan to donate the profits earned from operating the site to the city of Daegu.

Choi said, "I want to donate to people who need masks but cannot afford to buy them. Although ads are displayed on the site and may cause inconvenience, I would appreciate your understanding as it is a valuable effort to help more people have worry-free days."

Meanwhile, CoronaNOW has recently attracted great interest as the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases rapidly increases in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. Currently, the site is experiencing delays in access due to the large number of visitors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.