People in North Yorkshire urged to download the COVID-19 app

The app, which launched yesterday (September 24) and has undergone trials and rigorous testing, is an important new tool to work alongside traditional contact tracing to help reduce the spread of the virus.

It comes it was revealed NHS Test and Trace has now reached almost half a million people, including those testing positive and their contacts, to slow the transmission of coronavirus in England – meaning more than one in 10 people have now been tested.

The app will be available to those aged 16 and over in multiple languages. It forms a central part of the NHS Test and Trace service in England, identifying contacts of those who have tested positive for coronavirus.

The UK’s major mobile network operators, including Vodafone, Three, EE and O2, Sky and Virgin, have confirmed that all in-app activity will not come out of customers’ data allowance.

The contact tracing element of the app works by using low-energy Bluetooth to log the amount of time you spend near other app users, and the distance between you, so it can alert you if someone you have been close to later tests positive for COVID-19 – even if you don’t know each other.

The app will advise you to self-isolate if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case. It will also enable you to check symptoms, book a free test if needed and get your test results.

The app has been designed with user privacy in mind, so it tracks the virus, not people and uses the latest in data security technology to protect privacy. The system generates a random ID for an individual’s device, which can be exchanged between devices via Bluetooth (not GPS). These unique random IDs regenerate frequently to add an extra layer of security and preserve anonymity.

The app does not hold personal information such as your name, address or date of birth, and requires only the first half of your postcode to ensure local outbreaks can be managed. No personal data is shared with the Government or the NHS.

‘Tipping point’

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “We are at a tipping point in our efforts to control the spread of this virus. With infection rates rising we must use every tool at our disposal to prevent transmission, including the latest technology.

Certain businesses in England are now required by law to display NHS Test and Trace QR codes so customers with the NHS COVID-19 app can use them to check-in. QR codes will help businesses meet their legal requirement to log contact details and allow public health leads to send alerts based on whether people have checked in at venues. So far, more than 160,000 businesses have already downloaded QR codes.

Dido Harding, Executive Chair of England’s NHS Test and Trace Programme, said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to engage with England’s NHS Test and Trace service. The NHS COVID-19 app enables the majority of people with a smartphone to find out if they are at risk of having caught the virus and need to self isolate, order a test if they have symptoms, and access the right guidance and advice.

‘Stem the spread’

North Yorkshire CCG Governing Body GP Dr Bruce Willoughby said: “While cases of COVID-19 in North Yorkshire are not as high as in some other areas of the country, we know that there are pockets of infection around the county and in addition cases are on the rise again nationally.

“This app will be another tool in the NHS toolkit to effectively trace the contacts of infected individuals and encourage self isolation to stem the spread and try to prevent the local lockdown measures that we are seeing elsewhere in the country.”

The app allows people to report symptoms, order a coronavirus test, check in to venues by scanning a QR code and it helps the NHS trace individuals that have coronavirus. It does this while protecting the user’s anonymity. Nobody, including the Government, will know who or where a particular user is.

Every person who downloads the app will be helping in the fight against COVID-19.

To use the app you need to be aged 16 years or older, live in England or Wales and own a compatible Apple or Android smartphone that has Bluetooth switched on.

Benefits

• The app helps trace app users who have spent time near other app users, who they may not personally know, and who later test positive for coronavirus.
• The “check-in” feature supports this functionality by anonymously alerting users who have been at the same venue at the same time.
• App contact tracing reduces the time it takes to alert those who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
• The app will help the NHS understand where and how quickly the virus is spreading, so it can respond.

Six key features

• Trace – Get alerted if you have been near another app user who has tested positive for COVID-19
• Alert – Lets you know the level of COVID-19 risk in your postcode district
• Check-in – Get alerted if you have visited a venue where you may have come into contact with COVID-19
• Symtoms – Check if you have COVID-19 symptoms and see if you need to order a free test
• Test – Helps you book a test and get your results
• Isolate – Keep track of your self-isolation countdown and access relevant advice

Privacy

The app will not track you or your location. Instead your postcode district helps the app work out where the virus is spreading.

When you first download the app, you will be asked for your postcode district. Your postcode district is the first part of your postcode, which is common to about 8,000 other households.

The app will not hold any personal information. It cannot be used to access a user’s identity or any other information on a user’s phone.  All users can delete the NHS COVID-19 app at any time and this will also delete all data stored on app.