As more people continue to test positive for the novel coronavirus — COVID-19, people are eager to find answers to questions about the virus. Seventeen-year-old Avi Schiffmann, who lives just outside Seattle, used his coding abilities to create a website that provides updated information about the coronavirus every minute.
To date, the site, ncov2019.live, has been visited 12 million times and provides the latest statistics on confirmed cases, serious cases, deaths and those recovered; breakdowns on global cases and U.S. cases; offers tips for quarantining; travel information; and an interactive Google map indicating which countries have residents who have tested positive for the disease.
“My goal is to make the site the best place for information about the coronavirus, with multiple methods of getting data,” Avi told GeekWire in a March 3 interview. “When I first started I was viewing the whole epidemic as an outsider, and I never expected it to personally affect me.”
Avi, who is Jewish, is a junior at Mercer Island High School. When he isn’t attending classes or working on a site to inform millions, he is earning credits at Bellevue College. He told The Seattle Times that it can be stressful making sure all the information is up to date and accurate when there is so much conflicting data.
“I’ve made it so it cross-checks the information and numbers with dozens of sources,” Avi said. “People also read it and send me messages if it’s inaccurate. … It has been a little stressful sometimes.”
The programmer also relies on local verified government websites and health departments, in addition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the international Netherlands-based new agency BNO News.
The success of the website shouldn’t be a surprise to those who know him because this isn’t Avi’s first website. He says he’s been coding since he was 7 years old, developing his first website in the fourth grade. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the co-founder of StudentSpin, an online student-run magazine, and is a freelance 3-D artist.
“My goal is to make the site the best place for information about the coronavirus, with multiple methods of getting data.” — Avi Schiffmann
He has received hundreds of comments from people all around the world, despite his site being in English only, and his donation “buy me a coffee” page has already attracted more than 200 people.
He also told The Seattle Times that he hopes his website “shows that technology is useful in these world events, like for the Australian fires or Ebola outbreak. I’d also like to gain skills through all the great people I’ve met while working on this.”
The child of a physician and a biologist, Avi admitted he is nervous about the rise in cases near his hometown. He told The Times of Israel that his mother, who is a doctor, was able to get test kits for her patients only within the week. He is also critical of the U.S. government’s response to the outbreak.
“China built a new hospital in 10 days,” he told The Seattle Times. “[The U.S.] should prepare in advance for something like this. They should figure out what to do if school closes for multiple months. No one in America has been freaked out until the past week.”
The tech whiz is spending almost all of his time on the site and is determined to keep it updated for as long as people need it. He told GeekWire that his favorite quote is from Steve Jobs that reads: “The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
