Contact Tracing Apps May Be Ineffective in Reducing Covid-19 Spread: Study
4 years, 7 months ago

Contact Tracing Apps May Be Ineffective in Reducing Covid-19 Spread: Study

News 18  

Contact tracing apps are unlikely to contain the spread of COVID-19 without proper public health control measures such as physical distancing and closure of indoor spaces, according to a review of studies. "Across a number of modelling studies, we found a consistent picture that although automated contact tracing could support manual contact tracing, the systems will require large-scale uptake by the population and strict adherence to quarantine advice by contacts notified to have a significant impact on reducing transmission,” said lead author Isobel Braithwaite from UCL. "Although automated contact tracing shows some promise in helping reduce transmission of COVID-19 within communities, our research highlighted the urgent need for further evaluation of these apps within public health practice," said Braithwaite. The review shows that, at present, there is insufficient evidence to justify reliance on automated contact tracing approaches without additional extensive public health control measures. “Too much reliance on automated contact tracing apps may also increase the risk of COVID-19 for vulnerable and digitally-excluded groups such as older people and people experiencing homelessness,” Braithwaite added.

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History of this topic

West Australians’ highly sensitive personal data put at risk as COVID-19 contact tracing system lacks security
2 years, 10 months ago

West Australians’ highly sensitive personal data put at risk as COVID-19 contact tracing system lacks security

ABC  

WA's COVID-19 contact tracing system is plagued with significant privacy and security concerns, putting at risk highly sensitive personal and medical information collected from more than half a million people. Key points: Authorities failed to adequately protect sensitive contact tracing data The auditor-general says controls need to be strengthened WA health has defended its system but agreed to adopt changes …

NT COVID-19 contact tracing app to be upgraded to feature exposure site information
3 years, 2 months ago

NT COVID-19 contact tracing app to be upgraded to feature exposure site information

ABC  

The Territory Check-In app is getting an overhaul to include information on the locations and times Territorians may have come into contact with someone positive for COVID-19, following public concern over a lack of information in contact tracing messages. Key points: Territorians have been frustrated by a recent lack of information about COVID-19 exposure sites Changes to the Territory Check-In …

Public urged to work with contact tracing teams over Christmas period
3 years, 3 months ago

Public urged to work with contact tracing teams over Christmas period

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy People who test positive for Covid-19 over Christmas have been …

Now Isn't the Time to Abandon Contact Tracing
3 years, 7 months ago

Now Isn't the Time to Abandon Contact Tracing

Wired  

The rise of the Delta variant is sparking all sorts of memories—the anxiety amid the first Covid wave in spring of 2020, the crushing winter surge, the unceasing debate about “nonpharmaceutical interventions” such as masking and distancing, the concerns about kids and schools. But it hasn’t seemed to bring back discussions of contact tracing, one of the first best hopes …

Test and Trace app ‘pinging’ people whose neighbours have Covid through walls, report claims
3 years, 8 months ago

Test and Trace app ‘pinging’ people whose neighbours have Covid through walls, report claims

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The NHS Test and Trace app can “ping” people through walls …

COVID tracking app usage on the rise despite concerns of complacency in the NT
3 years, 9 months ago

COVID tracking app usage on the rise despite concerns of complacency in the NT

ABC  

In Darwin's CBD, Faith McMurtrie is busy giving her customers their daily caffeine fix. Key points: The Territory Check-In app has been used almost four million times since December Some residents are concerned about a level of complacency in the community The Health Minister is encouraging Territorians to continue using the app As she works the coffee machine at her …

Apple, Google's COVID-19 tracing tech saved thousands of lives in UK, about time India gets it too
3 years, 10 months ago

Apple, Google's COVID-19 tracing tech saved thousands of lives in UK, about time India gets it too

India Today  

Apple and Google joined hands to develop the Exposure Notifications System to contact trace and alert users about possible COVID-19 exposure. Now a report has claimed that the contact tracing tech has saved lives of between 4,200 and 8,700 users in the UK. “Our analysis suggests a large number of COVID-19 cases were averted by contact tracing via the NHS …

California’s new contact-tracing app: What you need to know
4 years, 3 months ago

California’s new contact-tracing app: What you need to know

LA Times  

Gavin Newsom has announced a voluntary smartphone app to alert people if they were in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. Called CA Notify, the app relies on a tech framework created by Apple and Google that uses Apple and Android phones’ short-range Bluetooth radios to determine when two devices have been near one another for …

Online app calculates risk of catching Covid-19 in various scenarios
4 years, 4 months ago

Online app calculates risk of catching Covid-19 in various scenarios

Daily Mail  

Outdoor spaces are safer than indoor ones for catching coronavirus, and more people pose a greater risk than smaller groups, public health officials frequently remind us amid the pandemic. The MIT tool's settings for homes, school's and restaurants suggest that a couple of people in any are likely safe for days in a home with more space, or hours in …

Virus surge places strain on Pennsylvania’s contact tracers
4 years, 4 months ago

Virus surge places strain on Pennsylvania’s contact tracers

Associated Press  

Pennsylvania’s contact tracing system is under strain as the explosion of new COVID-19 cases overtakes health workers’ ability to keep up, hampering efforts to slow the spread. Public health experts say it’s important to interview people who have tested positive for the virus as soon as possible so their “close contacts,” or the people they exposed, can be identified and …

Without a trace: do virus tracking apps really work?
4 years, 5 months ago

Without a trace: do virus tracking apps really work?

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Recommended WHO urges UK to move to local contact tracing system Despite predictions that between …

The five hallmarks of successful contact tracing during the coronavirus pandemic
4 years, 5 months ago

The five hallmarks of successful contact tracing during the coronavirus pandemic

ABC  

Contact tracing is the process of finding, assessing and managing the people who have been exposed to a disease, according to the World Health Organization. "One of our approaches in Australia is doing contact tracing in the first 24 hours of receiving a diagnosis, and I believe that Victoria is at 100 per cent at the moment," says Professor McLaws. …

Spam calls are hindering efforts to contact trace and track Covid-19
4 years, 5 months ago

Spam calls are hindering efforts to contact trace and track Covid-19

CNN  

CNN — Nine months into a pandemic that has killed 210,000 people in the United States, health officials are imploring residents to answer their phones. “If contact tracers do not hear back, a text message will be sent with a home visit time and date, and visits may be conducted without confirmation,” the health officials said. About 60% of contact …

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19?
4 years, 5 months ago

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19?

Associated Press  

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19? The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others. Health experts say contact tracing is key to containing the virus and allowing places to reopen more safely. After a person tests …

Largest study of COVID-19 transmission highlights essential role of super-spreaders
4 years, 6 months ago

Largest study of COVID-19 transmission highlights essential role of super-spreaders

LA Times  

In the bleak ranking of worst COVID-19 outbreaks, the United States, with 7.2 million infections, is likely to be eclipsed only by India, which has 1 million fewer cases but is catching up fast. Yet parts of India have led the world in one aspect of the pandemic response: contact tracing — the labor-intensive, time-sensitive, painstaking work of identifying people …

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with covid-19?
4 years, 6 months ago

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with covid-19?

Live Mint  

The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others. Health experts say contact tracing is key to containing the virus and allowing places to reopen more safely. After a person tests positive for the virus, a contact tracer would get in touch …

NHS coronavirus app: Future updates will warn users if they are exposing themselves to too many people, developers say
4 years, 6 months ago

NHS coronavirus app: Future updates will warn users if they are exposing themselves to too many people, developers say

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A future version of the NHS Covid-19 app could warn users if they …

One in three adults to download long-awaited NHS coronavirus app
4 years, 6 months ago

One in three adults to download long-awaited NHS coronavirus app

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Less than one in three adults in England and Wales will …

Government urged to 'prove' the Apple and Google coronavirus contact tracing app works
4 years, 6 months ago

Government urged to 'prove' the Apple and Google coronavirus contact tracing app works

Daily Mail  

The NHS contact tracing coronavirus app launches later this week amid a storm of doubt and uncertainty. Scroll down for video The effectiveness of the soon to be released app has been called into question on the eve of its launch with a charity asking why the public has yet to see data from the recent tests on the Isle …

Coronavirus: NHS app will carry out contact-tracing, government admits - hours after saying it would not
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus: NHS app will carry out contact-tracing, government admits - hours after saying it would not

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy No 10 has been left red-faced after wrongly saying the long-delayed …

L.A. has a new COVID-19 contact tracing app from a controversial source
4 years, 6 months ago

L.A. has a new COVID-19 contact tracing app from a controversial source

LA Times  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first came to Los Angeles in the spring, the county Department of Public Health has hired nearly 2,600 people to do the manual work of contact tracing: asking people who test positive for the coronavirus to list everywhere they’ve been and everyone they’ve seen in recent days, then tracking down anyone they’ve encountered and testing them …

Why Contact-Tracing Apps Haven’t Slowed Covid-19 in the US
4 years, 6 months ago

Why Contact-Tracing Apps Haven’t Slowed Covid-19 in the US

Wired  

As Covid-19 spread across the United States this spring, Jodie Pond, the health director in Teton County, Wyoming, looked forward to deploying a new weapon against the pandemic. A smartphone app would help her small team of contact tracers find people exposed to the virus more quickly. So in July, when Covid-19 cases in the county spiked, Pond’s small department …

Google and Apple Change Tactics on Contact Tracing Tech
55 years, 3 months ago

Google and Apple Change Tactics on Contact Tracing Tech

Wired  

Apple and Google say the change was based on conversations with state public health authorities, who told the companies they were having difficulty building apps themselves. Apple and Google say they are “committed to supporting public health authorities that have deployed or are building custom apps.” The new plan unifies some of the behind-the-scenes work of sending exposure notifications. Digital …

NHS contact tracing app 'is unlikely to reduce the spread of Covid-19'
4 years, 7 months ago

NHS contact tracing app 'is unlikely to reduce the spread of Covid-19'

Daily Mail  

The new NHS Test and Trace app won't work unless the vast majority of the country installs it and even then social distancing will still be required, a new study claims. This week, they have started trialling the 'NHS Covid-19' contact-tracing app, after a series of delays in the development process Researchers say that 'automatic and semi-automated' contact tracing apps …

Column: I’m in Canada, where the COVID police are watching
4 years, 7 months ago

Column: I’m in Canada, where the COVID police are watching

LA Times  

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged provincial leaders to be cautious in their coronavirus policies. It’s one reason Canada is doing so much better in this pandemic than we are: Unlike Americans, they set tough rules — and mostly obey them. Toronto, the country’s largest city, allowed bars and restaurants to resume indoor service — with lots of spacing …

Ministers admit struggling Covid contact tracing system MUST improve
4 years, 7 months ago

Ministers admit struggling Covid contact tracing system MUST improve

Daily Mail  

Ministers today admitted the struggling coronavirus contact tracing system must improve - but insisted schools will reopen in September despite fears of a catastrophic second peak. To prevent a second wave when schools reopen, the NHS contact tracing system must reach 68 per cent of cases and their contacts, according to researchers from University College London and the London School …

Europe Proves Contact-Tracing Apps Aren’t A Coronavirus Cure-All
4 years, 8 months ago

Europe Proves Contact-Tracing Apps Aren’t A Coronavirus Cure-All

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING When the StopCovid contact-tracing app was unveiled in France at the beginning of June, its rollout had already been hampered by problems and setbacks. “It may reflect that French people are simply less worried about the epidemic right now.” That’s a dramatic change from the spring, when politicians and public health authorities heralded contact-tracing apps as potential …

Conspiracy theories debunked: Here’s what COVID contact tracers really do
4 years, 8 months ago

Conspiracy theories debunked: Here’s what COVID contact tracers really do

Salon  

In the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic, contact tracing is downright buzzy, and not always in a good way. Misinformation abounds, from tales that people who talk to contact tracers will be sent to nonexistent "FEMA camps" — a rumor so prevalent that health officials in Washington state had to put out a statement in May debunking it — to …

Quick testing is needed for coronavirus contact tracing to be most effective, research finds
4 years, 8 months ago

Quick testing is needed for coronavirus contact tracing to be most effective, research finds

CNN  

CNN — Quick testing and quick reporting of results are needed for contact tracing to be as effective as it can be, new research finds. “In our model, minimizing testing delays had the largest impact on reducing transmission of the virus and testing infrastructure is therefore the most critical factor for the success of a contact tracing system,” Marc Bonten, …

Coronavirus Outbreak: What is contact tracing? How does it help in curbing COVID-19 cases?
4 years, 8 months ago

Coronavirus Outbreak: What is contact tracing? How does it help in curbing COVID-19 cases?

Firstpost  

The focus of contact tracing is to find close contacts or people who were within two metres of the infected person for at least 10 minutes or so. The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus and prevent them from spreading it to others. The focus is on close …

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19?
4 years, 8 months ago

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19?

Associated Press  

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19? The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others. Health experts say contact tracing is key to containing the virus and allowing places to reopen more safely. After a person tests …

How contact tracing could help rein in COVID-19
4 years, 8 months ago

How contact tracing could help rein in COVID-19

LA Times  

What is contact tracing, and how does it work with COVID-19? The goal of contact tracing is to alert people who may have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and prevent them from spreading it to others. Health experts say contact tracing is key to containing the virus and allowing places to reopen more safely. After a person tests …

Coronavirus | Contact tracing key to containing COVID-19, says Health Ministry
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus | Contact tracing key to containing COVID-19, says Health Ministry

The Hindu  

Contact tracing continues to be a critical component to contain the coronavirus epidemic and ensure that the health infrastructure is not overwhelmed, said the Health Ministry on Friday. It said the lockdown provided breathing space for the government to ramp up testing facilities and the health infrastructure, which ensured improved recovery rate through timely detection and clinical management of cases. …

Coronavirus UK: Tracking app dropped for Apple and Google tech
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus UK: Tracking app dropped for Apple and Google tech

Daily Mail  

Matt Hancock tonight insisted Britain will eventually get a Covid-19 tracking app that works after ministers abandoned NHS-made technology following its failure in a trial on the Isle of Wight. Baroness Dido Harding, who is in charge of test and trace, today revealed the NHS's app did not work on iPhones The app developed by the NHS didn't work for …

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app may not be ready until winter, health minister admits
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: NHS contact-tracing app may not be ready until winter, health minister admits

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The much-anticipated smartphone app to trace contacts of Covid sufferers may …

Privacy fears over COVID apps by Bahrain, Kuwait, Norway
4 years, 9 months ago

Privacy fears over COVID apps by Bahrain, Kuwait, Norway

Al Jazeera  

Live tracking of users’ locations puts thousands of people at risk, Amnesty International says. Amnesty International has raised privacy and security concerns over “invasive” contact-tracing apps rolled out by Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The UK-based rights group said on Tuesday an investigation into COVID-19 apps being used by 11 countries had rated Bahrain’s “BeAware Bahrain”, …

Contact tracing could become a regular part of office life. Here’s how it will work
4 years, 9 months ago

Contact tracing could become a regular part of office life. Here’s how it will work

CNN  

As more workers return to the office, companies are considering ways to track their employees to help prevent the spread of coronavirus among their workforce. “Employers are trying to understand how they reopen, and it’s going to vary by different companies,” said Todd Lohr, principal, digital enablement leader at KPMG. “Companies can leverage on managed devices, or even with other …

Coronavirus: Government’s contact tracing app could ‘exacerbate health inequalities’
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: Government’s contact tracing app could ‘exacerbate health inequalities’

The Independent  

Only half of manual workers, the unemployed and state pensioners say they will download the government’s contact tracing app, according to a new survey, sparking fresh concerns that the system could exacerbate health inequalities. Adam Steventon, director of data analytics at the Health Foundation, said: “The NHS contact tracing app could play a critical role in the fight against Covid-19, …

Coronavirus: Only 4 in 10 Covid-19 patients contacted at start of government's 'test and trace' scheme, leaked figures show
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: Only 4 in 10 Covid-19 patients contacted at start of government's 'test and trace' scheme, leaked figures show

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Only four in …

Coronavirus UK: Contact tracing scheme launches TODAY
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus UK: Contact tracing scheme launches TODAY

Daily Mail  

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that the UK's coronavirus contact tracing programme will finally launch this morning - with the members of the public being forced to isolate if they come into contact with positive individuals or face being fined. Experts immediately said the complexity of the programme meant there could be 'several points of failure' while the Government's …

The Apple-Google Contact Tracing System Won’t Work. It Still Deserves Praise.
4 years, 10 months ago

The Apple-Google Contact Tracing System Won’t Work. It Still Deserves Praise.

Slate  

This article is part of Privacy in the Pandemic, a Future Tense series. In Europe, countries like France and the United Kingdom are pushing for aggressive digital contact tracing efforts that involve government collection of broad new caches of location data. With respect to digital contact tracing, success depends on at least four factors—four factors that suggest the Apple and …

Microsoft's Brad Smith thinks Coronavirus contact tracing Bluetooth tech isn't meaningful
4 years, 10 months ago

Microsoft's Brad Smith thinks Coronavirus contact tracing Bluetooth tech isn't meaningful

India TV News  

Microsoft's Brad Smith thinks Coronavirus contact tracing Bluetooth tech isn't meaningful Bluetooth-based Coronavirus contact tracing tech is being adopted by companies to curb the spread of COVID-19 Microsoft President Brad Smith has raised questions over whether Bluetooth-based contact tracing technology can be adopted on a broad and meaningful scale worldwide. On Wednesday, Apple and Google announced to release their Exposure …

Apple and Google share contact tracing technology that can help fight coronvirus
4 years, 10 months ago

Apple and Google share contact tracing technology that can help fight coronvirus

India Today  

Authorities in 23 countries across five continents have sought access to contact tracing technology from Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google, the companies announced on Wednesday as they released the initial version of their system, as reported by Reuters. But authorities would have to stop requiring phone numbers from users under the companies’ rules, one of several restrictions that have …

Google and Apple release technology to help with coronavirus contact tracing
4 years, 10 months ago

Google and Apple release technology to help with coronavirus contact tracing

ABC  

New technology that could help alert people who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 is being tested to determine if it will work in Australia. Key points: Technology could help solve issues plaguing apps like COVIDSafe Technology could help solve issues plaguing apps like COVIDSafe App users who test positive would decide to notify people they …

Coronavirus: Government admits NHS app will not be ready for launch of contact tracing scheme
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus: Government admits NHS app will not be ready for launch of contact tracing scheme

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said: “What we are calling for is for the …

How Effective Are Contact Tracing Apps?
4 years, 10 months ago

How Effective Are Contact Tracing Apps?

Slate  

This article is part of Privacy in the Pandemic, a Future Tense series. But we still don’t really know how effective contact tracing apps actually are—particularly in societies that don’t already have a vast surveillance infrastructure. Iceland’s success in managing COVID-19 might instead be attributed to other factors, including the country’s early testing of high-risk individuals before it even confirmed …

With COVID-19 tracing apps comes privacy tradeoffs: Here's why you should be worried
4 years, 10 months ago

With COVID-19 tracing apps comes privacy tradeoffs: Here's why you should be worried

India TV News  

As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. “Governments and public health want to be able to track people” to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but people are less likely to download a voluntary app if it is intrusive, …

Can Australia's coronavirus contact tracing app COVIDSafe lift the country out of lockdown?
4 years, 10 months ago

Can Australia's coronavirus contact tracing app COVIDSafe lift the country out of lockdown?

ABC  

To speed up the process of contacting people who may have been exposed to coronavirus, the Federal Government is asking Australians to download its new COVIDSafe app. "If 40 per cent of people download the app, and if we're optimistic, half of those people are using it properly at all times — including having it running and open in the …

Here come COVID-19 tracing apps - and privacy trade-offs
4 years, 10 months ago

Here come COVID-19 tracing apps - and privacy trade-offs

Associated Press  

As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. “Governments and public health want to be able to track people” to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but people are less likely to download a voluntary app if it is intrusive, …

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