There's a new text bomb, one that causes iPhones to lock up, and that requires the phone to reset. The text is a string of Sindhi characters. Even notifications with the characters are a problem, so you can't just ignore the message.
What if this text was sent out to everyone who signed up to be a part of COVID-19 tracking efforts?
With one fell swoop, every phone that helps scientists track the spread of the virus would be bricked. People could then come into contact with infected people, and thinking their risk is limited, could engage in behavior that would ensure they got the virus.
In this story, there would have to be a reason for someone to want the virus to spread. I think an opposing country or a terror organization.
This story could be told from the ground of a foreign country, maybe a country a Chinese of Russian ally. They rely on the phones that were distributed by the government as a way to make sure they don't get infected. Still, because of their alliance with a foreign power, the United States bricks their phones, putting the population at risk.
The only way to unbrick their phones is to cut ties with the antagonistic country and align with the United States. The main character could be a nurse. Someone who struggles against lack of support, lack of funds. Her relationships in the community are the only thing that allows her to do her job effectively.
Another news item this week talks about Facebook limiting the shareability of messages on Whatsapp. This app is used by people to communicate beyond borders, to check in with family in other countries.
If for some reason, Facebook decided to limit the information available to people in third world countries, this could be a way to steer public opinion.
For example, the nurse in the story would only get messages about the help the United States is providing once the phones do come back online. She and the community would never receive word about why the phones went off in the first place.
The first book in the series could end when they think the virus is under control. A single cough at the very end would suggest otherwise. Then the second book would be about a second, more deadly wave, and the third would be about the same virus spreading to the United States, and the nurse is the only one who knows how to stop it.
