Canada’s national COVID-19 tracing app has been downloaded over 4.5 million times across Canada though the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta have not accepted the federal app so far. Alberta at present has its own app called AB Trace Together. Health Canada is urging people in B.C to download the app even though the provincial government has not yet agreed to support the app.
The app was launched first in Ontario at the end of July, It is one ot the two provinces, after Quebec, with the most number of infections, and second highest death toll.
Quebec, with the highest death toll and infection rate, signed on to the app in September. Nova Scotia and PEI signed on this month. B.
The idea is that with a positive infection result the individual is supposed to upload that information to the app, via Bluetooth the app can then notify others that they may have been exposed if in close proximity for at least 15 minutes. Since the launch on July 31, Ontario has reported more than 25,000 positive cases, but provincial figures show only 1,354 notifications since then.
This indicates that only approximately five per cent of infected people have used the app to report their case.
Still, officials are not saying the effort is wasted.
Susan Bondy, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health quoted by the CBC said, “We should not criticize something for not achieving 100 per cent efficacy, because nothing ever does.”.
Other experts have also defended the app saying it’s just one more tool and every tool is needed in the effort to quell the spread of the virus.
The government has been promoting downloading of the app, and repeatedly assured people of its privacy features, one of the expressed concerns of people who don’t trust it.
Broadcast announcements by celebrities are aslo now being used to encourage use of the app.
Due to the high number of positive cases, in the several hundreds each day, Premeir Doug Ford has reimposed some restrictions on areas of the provinces, moving them back into what is called a modified ‘stage 2’ such as reductions on the number of people who can gather, closing indoor service in restaurants and bars
There have been just over 3,000 COVID related deaths in Ontario since the start of the pandemic.
Additional information – Sources
- CBC: M Crawley” Oct 20/20: Just 5% of Ontario coronavirus cases used COVID Alert app to report infection
- 680 News:Oct 20/20: Only 5 per cent of Ontarians reporting they’ve tested COVID-19 positive on Alert app
- Public Health Ontario: COVID-19 in Ontario, January 15, 2020 to October 19, 2020
- Government of Ontario: Moving additional regions to modified Stage 2
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