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Our mission at The Weather Company is to help people make informed decisions in the face of weather, and there is no better time to connect with consumers than during flu season. Today, The...
Our mission at The Weather Company is to help people make informed decisions in the face of weather, and there is no better time to connect with consumers than during flu season.
Today, The Weather Company introduces Flu Insights with Watson in partnership with CVS, a new feature within The Weather Channel app for iOS and Android that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to arm consumers across the country with critical information to help them prepare for flu season. For the first time, Flu Insights with Watson includes a notification that is triggered during key moments like the onset of flu season, confirmed cases of flu outbreak or increased risk conditions. Users then have access to an industry-first 15-day flu forecast that displays the risk ranging from low to high, according to ZIP code. The experience also includes illness prevention tips and the latest flu reports from the CDC to provide users with actionable insights.
To gauge consumer awareness about flu season, The Weather Company sponsored a study in partnership with Morning Consult, to illustrate preparedness tactics. According to the study, 83% of respondents report that avoiding the flu is important, however, a substantial number of respondents (37%) do not get a flu shot. In addition, 62% of Baby Boomers report always getting a flu shot to prepare for flu season, while just 23% of Millennials take the same action1. The surprising results suggest that while avoiding the flu is paramount for consumers, taking action to prevent contracting the virus is less likely.
Flu Insights with Watson is a new AI-enabled risk assessment tool that offers a first-to-market 15-day flu forecast along with tips to help consumers stay healthy throughout the season.