MEDICS WARN OF FATAL FLAW IN TRACE AND TRACK APP
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TOP scientists fear the coronavirus tracking app could fail to identify HALF of people infected by Covid-19.
Experts say by focusing on a cough and fever it ignores 10 other symptoms.
Getting it right is vital to coming out of lockdown – and some medics accuse the Government of ignoring advice. Dr Nick Summerton, who was consulted on the app, said: “The UK is falling behind
in regards to this. If we only define the condition using two symptoms, you are identifying fewer than half who have it.
“If we don’t test, trace and track we will never get on top of the virus, it will continue to spread, more will die. We have to get these fundamentals right. It is basic public health.”
Dr Summerton spoke as the app was dubbed Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s “pet project” – and as some users trialling the scheme said it didn’t work on their phones.
Another top medic, meanwhile, said an app he had created in March had been snubbed “for political reasons” – while frontline medics reported scary symptoms far beyond a cough and fever.
Other countries – like South Korea and Singapore – have successful apps which have more features and identifying symptoms.
South Korea has limited deaths to 256 and Singapore just 20. Their apps have been up and running for weeks – showing how far behind the UK is. Testing is key.
The problem with the NHS app, say experts, is users are only asked to report a new cough or a fever.
But other symptoms include loss of smell, severe fatigue, stomach pains and confusion.
Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, launched the Covid Symptom Study app on March 23 and it is used by more than three million people.
But he said the Government is refusing to work with his team. He said: “The Government is putting politics above science.
“They feel if they acknowledge our app, the public will confuse the two – and the tracker app is the pet project of Matt Hancock.
“If they don’t include all the symptoms, they will underdiagnose it and miss important, infectious cases that will carry on passing it around. The logical conclusion is, if they are missing people, those people infect others and a small proportion will die. We should be using a combination of symptoms to diagnose this. It would save lives. We are falling behind other countries.”
Dr Summerton, a primary care diagnostics expert and GP for 32 years, said he was asked by Public Health England to consult on the app’s development.
He said: “The first point I made was include many more symptoms. The second was they should talk to Tim Spector about symptom clustering work he has done. To ignore such good work is strange.”
On the NHS app, when symptoms are reported, it sends an alert to other users the person has been in contact with in recent days. It gives advice on self isolating and how to get tested – crucial to the app’s success. On the Isle of Wight, 30,000 have the app. But many reported it is not working on Huawei, iPhones and Samsungs from before mid-2017.
Meanwhile, doctors on the frontline said the public needs to be aware of varying symptoms.
One GP in Kent said: “We’re noticing, particularly in younger people, that Covidpositive patients develop what seems to be gastroenteritis – abdominal pains, sickness – and either never develop a cough or fever, or develop these symptoms later.”
A nurse from King’s College Hospital in London said: “We’re seeing a lot of people admitted with encephalitis – inflammation of the brain, causing the patient to present as really confused.
“This happened with an otherwise fit and healthy 60-year-old who came in presenting symptoms of a seizure, including confusion, then tested positive for coronavirus.”
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “It is crucial proper testing and tracing infrastructure is in place. That means apps with the correct functionality.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “The app is a key part of plans to track the virus.
“Our response has been led by best scientific advice and the app has been developed with expert
guidance.”
App should have other symptoms ... we’ve got to get the basics right DR NICK SUMMERTON DIAGNOSTICS EXPERT