Usman Salis
The first COVID-19 contact tracking app in the US, using Apple and Google technology, will be launched this week in Virginia. The app is called COVIDWISE.
Since April, Apple and Google have developed infrastructure to allow government health systems to start touch monitoring applications running on iPhones and Android smoothly. This system uses the Bluetooth sensors on smartphones to identify people coming into near contact and alerting users to check for coronavirus.
Virginia's software uses Bluetooth tracking to secure consumer privacy without gathering any data — such as GPS or personal information.
The Apple and Google technologies, first created in May, have been adopted gradually by governments. But, since then, the usage has slowly risen, and, last week, Google said 20 states are "exploring technology-based features."
Until they prove successful, contact tracking applications often face significant obstacles. Researchers in public health say that 60% of the population of a country will take part in monitoring touch devices, a goal that other nations have failed to meet.
Nevertheless, the company's share price rose slightly during trading on Thursday. Google shares are up + 0.7% and Apple shares are up + 1.03% from yesterday's closure.
Usman Salis
