To speed up the process of getting in touch with individuals who may have been exposed to coronavirus, the Federal Government is asking Australians to download its new COVIDSafe app.
The more individuals utilize the app, the message goes, the faster we can slow the spread of the infection and the sooner we can lift limitations and return to the bar.
” The very first task of the COVIDSafe app is to keep you safe,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated in a press conference on Tuesday.
But how does a smart device app that identifies who you’ve been near secure you from COVID-19?
Using an app to help illness contact tracing is mainly extraordinary, so it’s tough to understand how efficient it will be and even which innovation works best.
In Singapore, where its contact tracing app TraceTogether has been functional since late March, there is still only minimal understanding of its effect.
And while there are sticking around issues regarding the app’s privacy and security, Adam Dunn, who leads biomedical informatics and digital health at the University of Sydney, said questions likewise remained about the app’s precision.
Digital tools to boost contact tracing
When it’s functional, COVIDSafe is created to digitise part of the coronavirus contact-tracing procedure.
The app uses Bluetooth to record an encrypted ID from every smartphone that enters range, if it also has the app.
If an individual is later on detected with COVID-19 and they consent, IDs from the app will be shared to a central s