NHM UP Staff Nurse-20…: Which mobile application became the word's fastest app to reach 50 million downloads in just 13 days?

NHM UP Staff Nurse-2021 Shift-2nd

General Knowledge

Easy

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse-2021 Shift-2nd

Explanation

Aarogya Setu was the official COVID-19 contact tracing, syndromic mapping, and self-assessment mobile application launched by the Government of India on April 2, 2020.
It utilized a smartphone's GPS and Bluetooth features to track user locations and determine if they had come into close contact with a person infected with COVID-19.
The app achieved a world record by becoming the fastest application to reach 50 million downloads, accomplishing this feat in only 13 days.
This surpassed the previous record held by the popular augmented reality game Pokémon GO, which took 19 days to reach the same milestone.

Option A: PRAGYAM is not a mobile application for contact tracing. The name likely refers to the PRAGYATA guidelines issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for digital education during the pandemic.
Option C: Covidgyan was a multi-institutional science communication initiative created to deliver reliable information about the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a knowledge portal, not a downloadable app for contact tracing.
Option D: SarCov refers to the virus itself, SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), which is the pathogen that causes the disease COVID-19. It is a biological entity, not a piece of software.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain General Knowledge: Technology and Current Affairs related to the COVID-19 pandemic as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Digital health technologies like contact tracing apps became a crucial component of public health strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor and control the spread of the virus.
For community health nurses, understanding and promoting such government-approved health apps can aid in patient education, symptom monitoring, and disseminating credible health information.
What if? If a significant portion of the population had refused to download or use the app due to privacy concerns, its effectiveness for large-scale contact tracing would have been severely limited, forcing reliance on slower, manual tracing methods.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the question to identify the key details: it asks for a specific mobile application with a world record for downloads (50 million in 13 days).
Consider the time frame. The massive and rapid adoption of a mobile app suggests a major global or national event. The options 'Covidgyan' and 'SarCov' strongly point towards the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Evaluate the options in this context. 'Aarogya Setu' was the official contact-tracing app launched by the Government of India during the pandemic, making it a strong candidate for rapid, widespread downloads.
Eliminate the other options through logical reasoning. 'SarCov' is the virus, not an app. 'Covidgyan' was an information portal, not a mass-downloaded tracking app. 'PRAGYAM' is related to education. This process of elimination confirms Aarogya Setu as the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: General Knowledge: Technology and Current Affairs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stem keywords: mobile application, fastest app, 50 million downloads, 13 days
Lead-in keywords: Which

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart B (pp 202-403 of 604) p. 3-5