Utah is now enrolled in the Exposure Notification System
Google and Apple recently launched the Exposure Notification System; a contact tracing tool to understand the chain of Coronavirus and stop continuous spreading.
The Exposure Notification System has been designed with the help of public health authorities. The app is not meant to track location or be used for identity sharing. Phones should give three alerts, allowing Utahns the choice to opt into the system.
USU student Kimmy McClellan said she hasn’t turned it on yet.
“I would consider turning it on. I think it could be a good thing, catching cases that we might not otherwise. If information is kept confidential, and not used for data mining, I don’t see a problem. I am a student so I’m exposed to many people, so it could be a useful tool to help protect me but also prevent me from unknowingly spreading it to others.”
Utah CoronaVirus explains how it works: “When two people have activated Exposure Notifications on their smartphones and come in close proximity to one another, they exchange anonymized “tokens” that log that close interaction for 14 days. A verification code is sent to individuals who test positive for COVID-19 by the Utah Department of Health. That code can then be entered into the Exposure Notification system by the individual who tests positive to alert others who came into close contact with them that they were possibly exposed to COVID-19. Anyone who was possibly exposed will be asked to watch for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested. Users of Exposure Notification never know the identities of the person who tested positive or who was notified about a possible exposure.”
The Department of Health is urging citizens to opt into the system, to allow the app to work more effectively.
Navina Forsythe, director of the Utah Department of Health Center for Health Data and Informatics said, “Modeling has produced estimates that if just 15% of a population uses Exposure Notifications, that in combination with manual contact tracing, there can be up to a 15% reduction in COVID-19 infections and 11% fewer deaths. A higher percentage of participation can lead to even greater reductions in disease.”
Apple users who have the iOS 12.5 or later can enable the Exposure Notification by going into Settings> Exposure Notifications. Android users can access the app from Google Play.
According to Apple and Google , “We hope to harness the power of technology to help countries around the world slow the spread of COVID‑19 and accelerate the return of everyday life.”