There are several online tools that aid businesses and organizations in tracing the activity of people. The purpose of such apps is to provide contact tracing to determine and control the spread of the Coronavirus. It can help people and organizations find the person affected to prevent the further spread of the virus. In addition to this, some apps provide notifications to the people in a person’s contact list (in the case a person has contracted the virus).
Some of these apps, such as the one by NHS work closely with healthcare workers and public healthcare providers. Apart from such COVID 19 screening tool, other applications available in the market also perform contact tracing.
An article by Nature explains that contract tracing apps, such as COVID Screener, aids in reducing the spread of Coronavirus. And there is data to back this claim.
The article also points out that the data from these applications is limited due to user privacy laws. However, data from various countries shows that these apps are essential for the health sector. While these apps are not the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic, integration into the health sector is necessary.
A statistical analysis of the National Health Service (NHS) COVID-19 app revealed that it prevented more than 224,000 infections between October 2020 and December 2020.
The benefit of contact tracing apps for businesses
Another app, called the COVID Screener tool, has been developed in Canada and aids businesses in contact tracing. It helps in detecting whether a person was in contact with someone with the virus. It can be used in public places, including restaurants and shops. It complies with the Canadian Public Health Sector guidelines and is also finding use in medical centers. The app asks questions as per the Ontario Government assessment. Hence, the COVID Screener app is closely in line with the Government’s policies.
These apps help in notifying the contacts of a person who tests positive for the Coronavirus. These apps are successful because it notifies people in a person’s contact list. The rate of notification is twice as compared with manual notification. It is especially true for the Radar Covid app from Spain. Contact tracing through digital means is not only efficient but is also effective. It can help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus among people who do not live together.
As schools and offices begin to open in some parts of the world, such apps can help detect the likelihood of a person contracting the virus. Moreover, it can curb the spread of the virus.
Limitations of contact tracing apps
Despite the benefit that these applications offer, there are a few technical limitations that must be considered.
There are a few contact tracing apps that are not integrated with the public health system. A handshake between the apps and the health system can reduce the spread of Coronavirus even further. That way, apps will have access to more information and data; hence, they might predict the likelihood of a person catching the Coronavirus. But this could cause a fear of user privacy among users.
Since most of these tools comply with data protection standards in their respective countries, it becomes difficult to gather data on a large scale. Despite this, the small amount of data available speaks volumes: these apps can help reduce the risk of Coronavirus.
