A new mobile contact-tracing app unveiled Friday by Alberta Health Services, combined with aggressive testing for COVID-19, can help public health officials slow transmission and reduce the spread of coronavirus, says Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
A new mobile contact-tracing app unveiled Friday by Alberta Health Services, combined with aggressive testing for COVID-19, can help public health officials slow transmission and reduce the spread of coronavirus, says Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health announced the launch of ABTraceTogether, a mobile app that uses Bluetooth technology to identify other nearby cellphones that also have the app installed.
People with the app on their cellphones who later test positive for coronavirus will be asked to voluntarily upload encrypted data to Alberta Health Services contact tracers. Those tracers would then be able to use that information to track down people who had close contact with the infected person.
“The faster Alberta Health Services contact tracers can inform exposed people, or close contacts, the quicker we will be able to prevent potential outbreaks and identify when Albertans must self-isolate,” Hinshaw said at a news conference on Friday.
“I have already downloaded the app myself, and I encourage you to do so, too. You can aid in our work to keep Albertans healthy, and provide crucial information about the spread of this dangerous illness.”
From the beginning of the pandemic, public health officials in Canada and around the world have repeatedly stressed the vital role that testing and contact tracing will play in efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Hinshaw said under the current manual process, public health workers interview people infected with COVID-19 and ask them questions that rely on their ability to remember where they have been in the past several days and who they were near.
‘Encrypted digital handshake’
“These people, their contacts, are then called to find out if they are sick and to make sure that they stay home for 14 days from their last exposure, even if they are feeling well.
“This is a vital step in preventing further spread of the virus. It is also time-consuming and resource-intensive, relying on each individual’s ability to rec