A high school junior who learned how to code by watching YouTube videos online has created one of the most extensive coronavirus-tracking ...
A high school junior who learned how to code by watching YouTube videos online has created one of the most extensive coronavirus-tracking websites that now brings in 30 million visitors a day.
Avi Schiffman, 17, from Mercer Island, Washington, launched nCoV2019.live in January - months before the coronavirus outbreak was even declared a pandemic.
The user-friendly website provides visitors with accurate updates on coronavirus cases in countries around the world, including the number of infections, deaths and recovered cases.
The data, which is pulled from various government websites and health authorities including the WHO and CDC, automatically updates every 10 minutes, and is presented on an easy-to-read dashboard.
Seventeen-year-old Avi Schiffman now runs one of the most-visited coronavirus-tracking websites after first launching it in January
The data is pulled from various government websites and health authorities including the WHO and CDC and is accurately presented on an easy-to-read dashboard
It includes timely updates on coronavirus cases in various countries around the world, including the number of infections, deaths and recovered cases
The teenager, a student at Mercer Island High School, just outside Seattle, got the idea to create the website while tracking information on the virus in December - when it first emerged in Wuhan, China.
'I thought it would be cool if there was a website that could pull in all the information from all kinds of (sources),' Schiffman said in interview with Today.
'I mainly wanted to create something that would show the data as accurately as possible because there has been a lot of misinformation.'
The website has since become one of the most-visited coronavirus-tracking sites, raking in 30 million visitors a day, and has had a total of 700 million viewers since its inception.
That kind of traffic means the website would be an ideal advertising platform - and a potentially lucrative opportunity for Schiffman - but the teen said he has turned down offers, including the chance to make $8million.
'I'm only 17, I don't need $8 million...I don't want to be a profiteer,' he told Business Insider.
It recently rolled out a new feature, a survival rate calculator, which estimates an individual's likelihood of dying from the disease based on their age, sex, and pre-existing conditions
Last year, the teen shared a photo on Instagram competing in the 'Tech to Protect' challenge
Schiffman further explained that ads could potentially affect the website's user interface and an advertising deal would mean he would not be able to run the site on his own terms.
'The responsibility shouldn't be on some random kid, but it's obvious that people want to know the statistics,' he told BI. The teen said he hopes his new creation will put pressure on the WHO to develop a similar tool in the event of another pandemic in the future.
While most people have extra time on their hands now that they are cooped at home due to coronavirus lockdowns, Schiffman said his life has only become busier as he has taken on the responsibility of maintaining his website around the clock.
He said he has invested at least a few hundreds hours in running the site and at one point even skipped two weeks of school to work on it.
On his LinkedIn account, Schiffman describes himself as 'a high school junior with years of experience in web development' and design
He also recently rolled out a new feature, a survival rate calculator, which estimates an individual's likelihood of dying from the disease based on their age, sex, and pre-existing conditions.
According to the calculator, a female between the age of 20-39, with no underlying health conditions has a '0.33 per cent chance of dying' from Covid-19.
'You should be fine. You have an estimated 0.33% chance of dying from covid-19', the results state, along with a disclaimer: 'Please note this is just an estimation, and not an absolute assessment of the effects covid-19 might have on you.'
Schiffman was able to build the website after teaching himself how to code by watching YouTube videos.
On his LinkedIn profile, he describes himself as 'a high school junior with years of experience in web development' and design.
'I also have extensive knowledge of popular 3D modeling software such as Autodesk Maya, as well as video editing skills in [Adobe] After Effects and Premier,' he writes.
He adds that he is currently looking for internship opportunities and potential business partners.
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