Cannabis Health Insider

The first test of a coronavirus contact tracing app was launched by the UK government this week. The test was launched on a small island that existed off the south coast of England.

The app will use Bluetooth technology, to alert users, if they have been close to someone who reportedly has symptoms of the virus or has had a positive test. The digital technology unit of the National Health Service (NHS) has developed the app, which will also upload information to a central database which will consequently help the public health experts to study the behavior of the deadly virus.

The United Kingdom, unlike Germany, has chosen not to use the technology that is jointly developed by Google (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL), because the data will only be stored locally on individual devices. Instead, the anonymous user data will be stored by the health authority, after encryption, in keeping with UK privacy rules.

According to a statement by the senior cabinet minister, Michael Gove, on Sunday, the government is in hopes that more than half of the 80,000 households on the Isle of Wight, will be downloading the app after its launch. He further added that the government plans on rolling out the app across the country later this month if the test proves to be successful.

According to an infectious diseases expert at Oxford University, Christophe Fraser, such apps can prove to be highly effective in stopping mass infections. Fraser is also the one who is helping in the development of the UK app and has also conducted extensive investigations on the outbreaks of SARS, H1N1, and Ebola. Steps can be taken for the prevention of further transmission if people are alerted when they are exposed to the virus.

However, according to a reported statement by Fraser last month, to show effectiveness in stemming the virus, at least 60% of the population needs to download and use the app. The UK app would ask users about their symptoms, which would then determine if they have enough symptoms of COVID-19, to become a presumed case. Meanwhile, other users that could potentially have “risky contact” are notified and further asked to self-isolate themselves, as the government said.

If the sick individual has themselves tested, the result can also be entered in the app, so the app can notify the contacts whether it was a false alarm or whether they should also get tested or go into quarantine.

Additionally, as a part of its overall efforts in keeping track of the virus after the lockdown restrictions are eased, the UK government wants to hire 18,000 contact tracers in the next few weeks. These contact tracers will track an infected person and where they have been as well as whom they may have come into contact with.

There has already been heavy criticism by privacy advocates, regarding the UK app, and have also argued that a decentralized approach towards the management of data, would provide greater security against bad state actors that are “spying” on citizens.

Other experts argue that by keeping the data centrally located, the app system can be protected from being overwhelmed by hacking attacks, and would further allow better tracking and study of the spread of the infection, by the government.

Matthew Gould is leading the app development for the National Health Service. Matthew told a UK parliamentary committee on Monday that with the centralization of the data, it will help the health authorities to get an insight on essential information, such as which symptoms would more likely result in a positive diagnosis and whether there’s a significant difference in contagion, depending on the time taken for the development of symptoms.