A 17-year-old Mercer Island High School student is using his self-taught web skills to help inform the world about coronavirus and now his website is seeing millions of views.
On Tuesday alone, more than 350,000 people viewed Avi Schiffmann's open-sourced website focused solely on the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
The 17-year-old junior created the website in December and says people around the world are now using it to get the latest coronavirus data.
”I decided it’d be kind of cool if I made a website that was kind of the central hub of all the information, so that I could make sure there was no misinformation and that the numbers were as accurate as possible,” said Schiffmann.
He used his self-taught coding skills to pull information from government agencies and trusted websites about the coronavirus. The website automatically updates every 10 minutes.
Schiffmann said he's keeping his website simple, despite how complex the code looks to the average person.
In the end, he's hoping his website will ease fears and make the most accurate information available worldwide.
"Big world events are bound to happen," said Schiffmann. "There's going to be more pandemics in the future and there's going to be earthquakes and things. It's been kind of concerning to see people scurrying to Costco to get the last water bottle or mask when I think that they should've prepared a long time ago."
Right now, Schiffmann is spending his time outside of school making sure his high-traffic site is staying in tip-top shape.
Once things calm down, he said he'll focus on his other projects.
"I'd like to make something really big. I'd like to make something like Facebook. But something as big as Facebook or how Napster changed the music industry, I'd like to make something really big and I'd like to change the world," said Schiffmann.
Schiffmann said he's heard from more than 50 translators looking to help get the website published in several different languages.
Click here to visit https://ncov2019.live/data
What are coronavirus symptoms?
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu or colds. Symptoms include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
The severity of symptoms ranges significantly. Some cases are very mild with symptoms similar to the common cold, and some cases are more like severe pneumonia that require hospitalization. Most deaths have been reported in older adults who had other health conditions, according to DOH.
Symptoms may appear as soon as two days after being exposed to the coronavirus or as long as 14 days.
A new Washington call center has been set up to answer your questions about COVID-19. If you have questions about how the virus spreads, what is being done in Washington state, and what you can do if you have symptoms, call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.
