Ireland has a COVID contact tracing app and the US wants in
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Ireland has a COVID contact tracing app and the US wants in
Jumping Trout, LLC
(Business Insider, July 22, 2020) Ireland has a COVID-19 tracker app that works so well, it's getting attention from other countries, including the US. The app, which is made by Nearform, reached 1.3 million downloads this week. The app works as a contact tracer for goverments to know who has had contact with who, especially if they've contracted COVID-19. It helps to know who might have been exposed.
How do they know? The tracker uses the API used by Apple and Google. It send bluetooth signals and looks for other phones who have downloaded the app. This helps keep a record of their location, and if a person with the app has tested positivie with COVID-19, the user updates their profile, and those with the app who have come in close contact are alerted.
It's not fool proof, as you have to have the app in order for it to work. But it could help stop the spread of COVID-19 if people are aware they've been exposed, it could help people isolate themselves sooner.
There's no target figure for downloading the app. Some other countries in the UK say 60% of the population needs the app in order for it to work effectively. If it does take off in the US, it would be beneficial for states and smaller governements to use.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/nearform-ireland-covid-19-contact-tracing-app-approached-us-states-2020-7?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=sf-bi-ti&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1o1JTpHkRlDBbzxtsjOFQFKiS6P-NYXKEJ6gmbJQi3XODN3KG_fv2bg80
How do they know? The tracker uses the API used by Apple and Google. It send bluetooth signals and looks for other phones who have downloaded the app. This helps keep a record of their location, and if a person with the app has tested positivie with COVID-19, the user updates their profile, and those with the app who have come in close contact are alerted.
It's not fool proof, as you have to have the app in order for it to work. But it could help stop the spread of COVID-19 if people are aware they've been exposed, it could help people isolate themselves sooner.
There's no target figure for downloading the app. Some other countries in the UK say 60% of the population needs the app in order for it to work effectively. If it does take off in the US, it would be beneficial for states and smaller governements to use.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/nearform-ireland-covid-19-contact-tracing-app-approached-us-states-2020-7?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=sf-bi-ti&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1o1JTpHkRlDBbzxtsjOFQFKiS6P-NYXKEJ6gmbJQi3XODN3KG_fv2bg80
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