Scientific American What’s Your Risk of Catching COVID? These Tools Help You Find Out A look at apps that predict the chance of infection and illness, depending on what you’re doing and where you are Advertisement As an emergency physician, Megan Ranney is used to dealing with hard questions about injury and illness. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, she has found herself scrambling for answers. “I kept getting asked by people whether it was safe to do certain activities,” says Ranney. “‘Is it safe to go to the beach, or to an outdoor party or a restaurant?’” Millions have struggled with the same questions throughout 2020. Scientists and clinicians are still learning about the epidemiology and pathology of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and, for the public, it can be difficult to understand how to maintain some semblance of normality while minimizing the risk of infection.