COVID Symptom Study - Help Beat COVID

This app is now known as the Zoe Health Study.

Updated on 11 August 2023

Reason for update: Added recent video from Professor Tim Spector.

Introduction to the COVID Symptom Study App

This post is about the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app used in the UK.

The information presented here is primarily for residents of Worthing, West Sussex.

However, the method and benefits of using the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app are the same, irrespective of what part of the UK you are in.

The associated image (© ZOE) is a screenshot from the COVID Symptom Study app, as used on an Android phone.

ZOE COVID Symptom Study – estimated active COVID cases in Worthing – or anywhere in the UK

An alternative view of estimated active COVID cases in Worthing.

View the ZOE COVID Symptom Study map on Zoe’s website

To view estimated COVID Cases in Worthing and West Sussex, use the zoom and pan controls on the map to quickly show areas located on the south coast of England. Worthing is shown as the third shaded area to the left of Brighton. To see estimated COVID cases in Worthing, Click on or touch the Worthing shaded area. The map is updated on a daily basis, usually after 11am.

About the ZOE COVID Symptom Study

The ZOE COVID Symptom Study is run by researchers at King’s College London and collects data from users who have downloaded the app and are reporting symptoms through the app.

Please note that this app is not the NHS COVID-19 contact-tracing app or the NHS COVID app.

The ZOE COVID Symptom Study app (available for Android and IOS) is a major player in the fight against COVID-19, due to millions of UK users reporting on a daily basis.

How the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app works

Once a day the app reminds you to log your symptoms, if any and the data collected is shared on a daily basis with King’s College researchers and the NHS.

The reporting process takes less than a minute.

The app asks if you have ever had a COVID-19 test and if you answer No, you are asked to select from 2 options: “I feel physically normal’’ or ‘’I’m not feeling quite right.” That’s it – your report is complete.

If you report that you have had a COVID-19 test, the app will ask you for further details including the result. If you report a negative or positive test, this will be added to the daily total for Worthing and the UK.

If you log your COVID test result within the app, you will be presented with your list of tests for reference.

When you subsequently test negative or positive for COVID in Worthing and report this in the app, the number of COVID cases in Worthing and the UK daily total will adjust (on the next daily update of the COVID Symptom Study data), to show your contribution.