New York Launches COVID-19 Tracking App: How It Works

The authorities decided to use modern technology to fight the virus more effectively. The application will help you track contacts to reduce the number of new victims. How it works is reported on the website of the publication. CNBC.

About app

On October 1, a COVID-19 contact tracing application was launched in New York. It will notify users if they come into contact with someone who tests positive for the virus.

The app is called Covid Alert. It is free and available for download on the Apple App Store for iPhone users and on Google Play for Android device owners.

On Thursday, October 1, Governor of the State Andrew Cuomo announced such a possibility. “About 15 people across the state are involved in contact tracing. But we were looking for a technological solution, ”Cuomo said. - The application will track the places where the person with a positive test result was through their mobile phone. The app will tell you if you were within 1,8 meters of that person. "

The Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, also announced the launch of an app called Covid Alert NJ in his state on the same day.

What is contact tracing

Contact tracing works like this: specially trained personnel contacts the person who has been diagnosed with the virus and encourages him to comply with quarantine. Then he contacts people who may have become infected by contact with this person. It is one of the only proven strategies to contain virus outbreaks, but has never been implemented to the extent required by the pandemic.

To make contact tracing more effective, several countries, including France, Germany, Ireland and South Korea, have turned to mobile apps to complement these efforts. Such programs have been, to varying degrees, successful in involving the public in the implementation of the system.

The new app, launched in New York City, uses Bluetooth technology to detect close contact between phones and, by extension, individuals. “The Covid Alert in New York does not track your location, nor does it use GPS. It does not collect or store any personal information, ”said Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor. - The app is completely anonymous. It uses Bluetooth technology to determine proximity to another phone using the same app, but not geographic location. "

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Apple and Google call the jointly developed solution "ExposureNotification". Several states, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Arizona, have already released applications based on this technology.

A similar application was released in Virginia, North Carolina, Arizona.

New York is the largest state to release an app based on Google-Apple technology.

How the application works

The more people install the app, the more efficiently it will work. Previous research has shown that 60% of the population needs to use it to be successful.

But in Virginia, the first state to release the app, only half a million people downloaded it in their first month of operation, or about 5% of the population.

Representatives of Apple and Google presented a study in September, according to which the application can be effective if 15% of people install it on their smartphones.

It is up to every New Yorker to decide whether or not to install the app, Cuomo said. It will be distributed in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut to operate outside these states. “After all, everyone is wondering if he was next to a person who is a carrier of the virus,” Cuomo said. "I think this will not only take contact tracing to the next level, but it will also make people feel comfortable."

The app is available in six of the most popular languages ​​in New York.

The application is launched as the virus spreads. Recently outbreak of coronavirus occurred in four boroughs of New York at once. The authorities said they are ready to make "significant efforts to stop this trend." Cuomo said the state is investigating and allocating resources for 20 ZIP codes, where the percentage of positive tests continues to rise.

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Not only tech giants such as Google and Apple have contributed to the development and implementation of the application, but also the former mayor of New York, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, as well as longtime adviser to the governor, Larry Schwartz.

About $ 700 was spent on the development of the application from federal funds and funds received from the Bloomberg philanthropic organization.