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Adoption of the NHS Covid contact tracing app that was launched in England and Wales on Thursday, and once touted as key to controlling the pandemic, could be as low as 10% in some places, sources believe. governmental.
International examples show similar app acceptance rates between 10% and 30%, a far cry from the April NHS app target of 80% of smartphone users. The Big Data unit of the University of Oxford, which advised the government on its development, said it would be the equivalent of 56% of the population.
The application, which uses technology from Google and Apple, will alert the user if they have been within 2 meters for more than 15 minutes of someone who has tested positive and who also has the application.
Other features allow the user to register at a location that displays a QR barcode, rather than having to give staff their details. The user can book a test and will be advised on self-isolation if necessary, including a daily countdown to know when they can leave home again.
Pilot studies on the Isle of Wight, the London Borough of Newham, and among NHS volunteers have shown that the app’s downloads are similar to those in other countries. The highest rate, around 30%, was recorded on the Isle of Wight, where a previous test meant that people were already used to the idea of a contact tracing app. At Newham, absorption was close to 10%.
Officials in the test and trace program, however, believe there will be benefits even if few people adopt it. A recent study by the same University of Oxford data team, looking at the Washington state experience in the US, found that if 15% used an app that notified them of exposure to an infected person , infections were reduced by 8% and deaths by 6%.
It is now recognized that the only way out of the coronavirus crisis, short of a vaccine, is through behavior change. The app is expected to motivate people to talk and remember the basics: wash their hands, keep their distance and wear masks when necessary, and get tested and self-isolate if they have been around someone with coronavirus.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has toned down his rhetoric. “We are at a turning point in our efforts to control the spread of this virus. With infection rates increasing, we must use all the tools at our disposal to prevent transmission, including the latest technology, ”he said.
Contact tracing is one of the most basic pillars of public health responses to a pandemic like the coronavirus. It literally means tracking down anyone someone with an infection had contact with in the days before getting sick. It was, and always will be, central to the fight against Ebola, for example. In West Africa in 2014-15, there were large teams of people tracking family members and knocking on the doors of neighbors and friends to find anyone who might have been infected by touching the sick person.
Most of the people who contract Covid-19 will be infected by their friends, neighbors, family, or coworkers, so they will be first on the list. It is not likely that someone will be infected with someone they do not know, passing by on the street.
It is still assumed that there has to be a reasonable exposure; originally, experts said that people should be together for 15 minutes, less than 2 meters apart. Therefore, a contact tracker will want to know who the person who tested positive met and who they spoke with for the two to three days before they became symptomatic and isolated.
South Korea has large teams of contact tracker and, in particular, went after all the contacts of a religious group, many of whose members fell ill. That outbreak was efficiently eliminated through contact tracing and quarantine.
Singapore and Hong Kong have also supported testing and contact tracing, as has Germany. All of those countries have had relatively low death rates so far. The World Health Organization says it should be the “backbone of the answer” in all countries.
Sarah boseley Health Editor
“We have worked extensively with technology companies, international partners, and privacy and medical experts, and learned from testing, to develop an application that is secure, easy to use, and helps keep our country safe. Today’s launch marks an important step forward in our fight against this invisible killer and I urge all who can download and use the app to protect themselves and their loved ones. “
Dido Harding, president of NHS Test and Trace, also emphasized that the app is not a substitute for human interaction. “It would work in conjunction with our traditional contact tracing service and help us quickly reach more people in their communities to prevent further spread of the virus,” he said. “This is a welcome step to protect those around us.”
Professor Andrew Goddard, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said the app was a step in the right direction, but that it would need continual evaluation and improvement. He said that people would have to be sure that their data was anonymous. “As the situation evolves, legislators have to be receptive to the way public health guidance is developed, and we don’t want people to worry about using the app for fear of being identified and fined if they break the rules. changing, “he said.
