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B.C.'s three main party leaders are busy making promises and trying to outdo each other as the election campaign enters its final week
Health Canada is asking British Columbians to download its COVID Alert app, despite the provincial government not yet agreeing to support the technology.
Health Canada told Postmedia News that the app could still be of use, despite it not being adopted in B.C.
“The COVID Alert app is free and voluntary, and is another tool to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future outbreaks,” Health
Canada spokeswoman Maryse Durette said.
“At all levels of uptake, COVID Alert can help reduce transmission. The more people who use the app the more effective it will be.”
Durette said Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island had all adopted the app.
Nova Scotia announced last week that it would also be on board shortly.
“The federal government continues its discussions with provinces and territories, including British Columbia to roll out the app so all Canadians can benefit,” Durette said.
Alberta, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have also not signed on.
“It is up to each jurisdiction to integrate COVID Alert within their health systems and decide what approach is best within their individual jurisdiction. The federal government is overseeing the national app to ensure interoperability across jurisdictions,” Durette said.
She said that people in B.C. should still download the app.
“It's still helpful to download COVID Alert from anywhere in the country, even if you can't use it to report a diagnosis. That way, you'll be notified if you come into contact with someone from a reporting province or territory or when people in your area are able to report a diagnosis.”
The number of people who have downloaded the app has soared by more than a million over the past two weeks and is now at 4.6 million.
The app — developed by Health Canada, Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Digital Service with h e l p f ro m Ap p l e and Google — notifies users if they have been exposed to someone who has tested COVID-19 positive.
Users who test positive and have the app are given a onetime key from their health authority that they enter into the app and notify anyone who has been close to them for at least 15 minutes. So far, Health Canada has issued 1,696 of these one-time keys.
The B.C. Ministry of Health told Postmedia News last week that “work is ongoing with our federal partners regarding having the COVID app active here in B.C. as we are ensuring that it meets the needs we have here in B.C. to supplement our contact tracing.”