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What does the risk level of my zip code district mean?
Provide the first half of your zip code to the app so the government can notify you when the risk level changes in your area. Here’s what each level of risk means:
High
High risk means that your local authority is using additional measures, such as blocking, to reduce transmission.
Means, medium
If your area is of medium risk, then your local authority, or a neighboring local authority, has higher levels of infection than in other parts of the country. A local area plan may have been put in place to reduce infection, such as additional nursing home testing or additional mobile testing capacity.
Low
Normal coronavirus control measures have been implemented.
How will the app help me to book a test?
You can report the details of your symptoms in the app. If they suggest a possible Covid-19 infection, the app will ask you to book a test for yourself and all members of your household online. You will also have to isolate yourself for 14 days.
If you booked a test in a different way, you can still link the test result to the app if you received a positive result.
To link your test result to the app, select Enter test result on your app’s home screen. Then, enter the code that you received from the test service via email or text message.
What happened to the old NHS app?
Based on privacy-focused software from Apple and Google, the app marks the second attempt by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to develop software to bolster the contact tracing effort.
A first version that stored certain information centrally was abandoned after a failed test on the Isle of Wight in May.
The app had been returned to the drawing board after the government decided its approach presented too many technical challenges.
The technical issues included an audit that found it could only detect one in 25 contacts on Apple phones in some cases. The app also didn’t work on Android phones that were over four years old.
The root of these problems was due to the fact that the NHSX app tried to circumvent the privacy limitations imposed on smartphones by Apple, which makes iPhones, and Google, which makes Android.
These limitations meant that when iPhones were left idle, they stopped registering Bluetooth matches, rendering the technology ineffective.
Are there privacy issues?
Some people have raised concerns about patient privacy. Dr Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye, director of the Computational Privacy Group at Imperial College London, warned that such applications could “collect sensitive information such as location data.”
“We need to do everything we can to help stop the outbreak. Contact tracing requires the handling of highly sensitive data at scale, and there are solid and proven techniques to help us do so while protecting our fundamental right to privacy. We cannot afford not to use them, ”he said.
Mr. Hancock has dismissed the privacy concerns, stating that data will only be retained for as long as it is needed and that “all data will be handled in accordance with the highest ethical and security standards.”
“If you are not feeling well, you can safely report to this new NHS app, and the app will send an alert anonymously to other app users with whom you have been in significant contact,” the health secretary said.
What if I live in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Scotland and Wales have separate contact tracing apps that you can download and use. The NHS application for England will not work in these countries so you will need to download different applications and change if you already have the England application.
For people in Scotland, go to your app store and search for “Protect Scotland”.
For people in Northern Ireland, go to your app store and search for “StopCOVID NI”.
Both apps work the same way as the England app, which means you need to set them up first and turn on Bluetooth so they can continue to run in the background.
If you already have the app from another country installed, you can change the contact tracing region by opening the new app. Touch “Allow” when asked if you want to switch to the current application to receive exposure notifications.
