PHONE APP TO TRACK COVID-19 COMING TO ALL IN CALIFORNIA

Digital tool tells people when they’ve been exposed to virus

The smartphone-based COVID-19 alert system that has the ability to tell people when they’ve been exposed to the novel coronavirus will be made available to all Californians this week.

But will Golden State residents opt in? The Bluetooth-based technology is designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus by quickly notifying people when they’ve made prolonged contact with someone who later tested positive for the disease. It’s the sort of digital tool that could help California rein in the climbing case totals that are fueling surges in hospitalizations across the state.

But in order for the system to work, peo

ple have to decide to use it, and the reception to similar programs in other states has been lukewarm. Health officials are hopeful that recent updates to the technology and the addition of services like a call center will help persuade more people to participate.

California’s program is called CA Notify, and it harnesses the exposure notification system built by Apple and Google.

It first launched as a pilot program at the University of California San Diego and several other universities for students, staff and faculty members, but, starting Thursday, Californians across the state will be able to opt into the program. Apple cellphone users will simply turn on the exposure notifications system built into their phones, while Google cellphone users will be asked to download the CA COVID Notify app from the Google Play Store.

Some residents can also expect to get a notification on their phone alerting them that the program is available. The system doesn’t track locations, and all information is anonymized. It’s free, and users can opt out at any time.

“CA Notify will help slow the spread by alerting those who opt in to receive an alert if they’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “The process is private, anonymous and secure, and is one of the many tools in the state’s data-driven approach to help reduce the spread.” So how does it work? Apple and Google’s exposure notification system hinges on Bluetooth technology, and uses radio waves instead of Internet connections or cables to connect to other gadgets, including other phones.

Smartphones will harness this capability to regularly broadcast an anonymous, constantly changing code that can be picked up

and logged by other phones nearby.

The strength of the signal helps approximate how close people are. When phones come within 6 feet of one another for at least 15 minutes, they log one another’s code.

If someone later tests positive for the coronavirus, a health official who has verified the diagnosis will provide an exposure notification key for the infected person to enter into his or her phone. This gives the system permission to alert everyone whom the infected person made contact with in the 14 days before getting sick.

Now that CA Notify is available to all state residents, anyone who tests positive for the virus will get an exposure notification key as long as they provided their cellphone number while getting tested. Contact tracers are also able to provide keys.

Since the launch of the pilot, UC San Diego officials estimate that 82 exposure notification keys have been issued across the state, and 49 have been claimed by program participants.

Dr. Christopher Longhurst, UC San Diego’s chief information officer and one of the health officials spearheading the CA Notify effort, said the program proved effective at identifying exposed people early so they could be quarantined and tested.

“As we enter a new, and hopefully final, surge in the pandemic, now more than ever is the time to put every possible tool to use to slow the spread of the virus,” Longhurst said.

If enough people opt into the system, people should learn they’ve been exposed faster than ever. But that’s still a pretty big if.

Several states have launched exposure notification programs using Apple and Google’s technology, and adoption rates have been underwhelming. Colorado launched CO Exposure Notifications in October and had seen an adoption rate of about 17 percent by mid-November. Washington launched WA Notify last week, and, after four days, more than 1 million people had activated the technology. That’s about 19 percent of adults in the state.

It’s difficult to say why so few people have chosen to participate, but privacy concerns are likely contributing factors. It’s also difficult to say what level of adoption states would need to see in order to affect the spread of COVID-19. In one study that has yet to be peer reviewed, researchers from Oxford, Stanford and Google found that a 15 percent participation rate could reduce infection rates by 11 percent and deaths by 15 percent.

California officials are shooting for a much more robust level of participation, and if early adoption numbers hold steady, they may get it. Officials estimate that more than 286,000 iPhone users, of about 360,000 who had access to the program, chose to turn on notifications during the pilot.

There are a couple of technological improvements that should make opting in even easier this goaround. First, a lot more iPhone users will be able to use the system. Before, only users with iOS 14.2 could opt in. Now, the system works on iOS system 13.7 and up. Also, Android users used to have to click a special link provided by universities to download Google’s CA Notify app. Now, anyone can find it in the Google Play Store.

UC San Diego will also be running a call center for the state to assist people who may have questions or concerns about the program. People staffing the line will also be able to provide exposure notification keys to individuals who didn’t provide their cellphone number when they got tested or otherwise needed a key.

The California Department of Public Health is paying UC San Diego $2 million to implement and run the call center.