Massachusetts tests COVID-19 digital contact tracking app

A year after the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts is attempting a technological upgrade of its labor-intensive efforts to locate contact.

Public health officials on Monday launched in the cities of Somerville and Methuen the so-called MassNotify mobile app, which sends users an alert if they have been in close contact with someone who says they have tested positive for COVID-19.

“This is a new tool in our toolbox to fight COVID,” said Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone. Boston Herald. “We must do everything in our power to interrupt the transfer from person to person.”

Amid concerns about the increase in coronavirus cases this spring, with the vast majority of the population unvaccinated, officials say the MassNotify app is intended to complement existing human tracing efforts – not replace them. not.

The new system relies on users voluntarily deciding to turn on exposure notifications under “Settings” on their iPhones, or to download the MassNotify app if they have an Android device.

When enabled, MassNotify then shares random, anonymous Bluetooth codes with the phones of other people using the app. Officials emphasize that the app – developed through a new service developed using Google and Apple’s automatic notification technology for exposure – is voluntary and does not share location data or personal information with any of the companies or state government (although the app itself collects personal information cell phone numbers in limited cases).

Those who test positive for COVID-19 can share their results anonymously through the app, and if they were near anyone else who enabled MassNotify, the latter will receive an alert about their possible exposure, along with a link to information on quarantine and testing.

The new launch comes as some have asked questions about the state’s $ 130 million contact detection program, in which more than 4,500 people have now manually called contacts to warn them of their potential exposure and assistance. Other states have also made ‘exposure notification’ technology available to their residents; The Associated Press reported in December that 16 U.S. states, plus Guam and Washington, DC, use some version of Google and Apple’s technology.

However, the detection of digital contact in the countries is catching up with East Asia and some European countries, where the adoption of the technology was relatively widespread. The most successful state, Connecticut, saw 20 percent of residents prefer to use the technology, the Associated Press reported at the time. In all other countries, the survey was between 1 and 10 percent.

Civil servants on Monday did not immediately say why they now choose to run the pilot. According to a submission by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health last week, exposure technology for exposure earlier in the pandemic was unproven, but more recent research has shown that it can make a significant impact on public health as an addition to existing interventions. . ‘

Officials also noted that states that use Google and Apple’s exposure notification technology have made progress in their adoption rates, especially compared to states that have used third-party apps.

“We are not out of the woods yet,” the presentation said. “An additional public health tool can help combat COVID fatigue, help stop the spread of potential new variants, and identify ongoing cases (especially if vaccination efforts continue, their reopening increases, and travel increases ). “