CovidSafe app tells users when they've been exposed to coronavirus

Apr 22 2020, 7:26 pm

A team of public health officials, doctors, researchers, University of Washington engineers, and Microsoft volunteers have built a new app to alert the public about new health announcements and possible exposure to COVID-19.

CovidSafe seeks to assist people who have been exposed to the virus by connecting them to appropriate public health guidance. Users can anonymously track their symptoms while enabling effective contact tracing for health officials.

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Using Bluetooth, CovidSafe is able to communicate with other users to see if they’ve been in contact with someone who was recently diagnosed with coronavirus.

According to developers, each phone that has downloaded the app will broadcast a random signal using Bluetooth to other nearby app users. All of the phones will remember the signals they’ve sent and received for two weeks. The signal each phone broadcasts changes, so the signals remain anonymous and can’t be linked to a specific person.

If another app user has come down with symptoms of coronavirus and was near you within the last two weeks, they can choose to anonymously submit their diagnosis. The app will then inform you and anyone else who’s come in contact with that person within the past two weeks. While the measure of near is not as precise at within six feet, app developers say that it’s accurate up to a few meters.

The app also allows public health officials to easily update and broadcast alerts, such as public safety announcements.

The app is currently still in the testing stages, and is available for download on Android devices. An IOS version is currently in the works.

Alyssa TherrienAlyssa Therrien

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