Despite the fact pubs and restaurants are set to close across the country, it’s been revealed that only one notification has been sent through the contact tracing app about a venue outbreak.
The app has been subject to scrutiny ever since it was developed.
I know what you’re thinking. But the headline isn’t misleading; the app really has only sent out one alert, across the whole country, since its launch.
Millions of people have checked in to venues across the country, yet only 4 alerts have been released in total, and 3 of those happened before the app was fully up and running.
The app doesn’t even notify a user of an outbreak either, it simply sends a message saying: “We are letting you know that you may have been exposed to coronavirus when you were out.
“Although there is only a small risk that you have been infected during your visit, please continue to follow the latest advice on social distancing.”
Speaking to Sky News, who first reported on this matter, the shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah said: “On the one hand, at a government briefing on local data I’m told pubs are the primary location for common Covid exposure, on the other that the contact-tracing app has only sent out one alert about an outbreak in a venue.
“There is a plain contradiction there and ministers need to get a grip.”
The Department of Health, however, has tried to dismiss claims that the app is useless as it is at the moment, and claims it currently stands as an important tool that can help us defeat the virus.
A spokesperson from the Department of Health said: “The NHS Covid-App is an important public health tool, downloaded more than 16 million times, which is helping to stop the spread of this virus.
“Alongside the app’s contact tracing features, the QR code check-in system performs a number of important functions, not least providing a digital diary for users to prompt them as to who they have been with should they test positive.
“If Heath Protection Teams believe a venue is linked to an outbreak they may send a ‘warn and inform’ message to app users who attended the venue at a similar time based on when they checked in.”
The app has been redesigned and changed behind closed doors a few time’s, with the first version which was tested in May being scrapped.
Main features of the app include options for users to check in places manually, as oppose to scanning a QR code, as many places, such as parks and other outdoor areas, don’t have their own dedicated code to scan.
By users checking in here, they can pass on information if they test positive, which can help other users who were in that unregistered area get tested and take the necessary precautions.
Another feature is that your phones Bluetooth works in the background with other peoples phones. It detects when you have been in close proximity with someone who may have the virus, and subsequently sends a notification to your phone.
Developers want users to know they aren’t being tracked, though. Data is only really used when needed, for example when notifying of an outbreak, and not much movement data which could be deemed irrelevant to the app is collected.
