Parliament Updated on careFIJI App
App will assist in preventing resurgence of COVID-19
Parliament was updated on the careFIJI app which will be launched shortly. The careFIJI app uses non-location tracking technology using Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) and with privacy and security central to the app design, it notifies careFIJI users at the earliest if they have crossed paths with a careFIJI user who has recently been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Combined with the other national public health measures, careFIJI app will prevent a resurgence of COVID-19.
Attorney-General and Minister for Communications, Aiyaz SayedKhaiyum gave a detailed update, outlining even the minimal app permissions that would be required, which is far less than some of the most popular apps used in Fiji. He also made a comparison of the number of contact tracing apps globally and that only eight of the 48 apps globally, were based on Bluetooth only.
The careFIJI mobile app is based on the open source reference implementation of the TraceTogether mobile application (BlueTrace Protocol) developed by the Singaporean Government and mirrors the COVIDSafe mobile app widely adopted by millions of Australians in their own campaign to eliminate COVID-19.
“We aim to launch a pilot programme of the careFIJI app as soon as Google PlayStore and Apple AppStore have finalised their review process. Late last week we received additional mandatory steps which have been completed and resubmitted,” said the AttorneyGeneral.
“Our health officials cannot be everywhere. Let’s help our contact tracers and those on the frontlines to contain the spread of COVID-19 by downloading the app when it launches and ensuring that the Bluetooth device is on.”
Why should you download the careFIJI app and what are the benefits of the careFIJI app?
The careFIJI app will enable you, your loved ones, all Fijians and visitors to Fiji to be contacted at the earliest and to be given COVID19-related health advice, when one has crossed paths with a careFIJI user who is recently diagnosed with COVID-19.
“There is no delay between case confirmation and notification of
careFIJI users who are close contacts. Currently, the contact tracing process relies on the memory of the recently diagnosed COVID-19 patient on who they have been in contact with.
“Studies show that the use of a mobile phone application can make contact tracing and notification close to instantaneous upon case confirmation and estimates that “one infection will be averted for every one to two users.
“I would like to refer to a joint article by the University of Oxford, Big Data Institute and the Nuffield Department of Medicine titled ‘Digital contact tracing can slow or even stop coronavirus transmission and ease us out of lockdown’ dated 16 April 2020 which states: “delaying contact tracing by even a day from the onset of symptoms could make the difference between epidemic control and coronavirus resurgence... We’ve simulated coronavirus in a model city of one million inhabitants with a wide range of realistic epidemiological configurations to explore options for controlling transmission. Our results suggest a digital contact tracing app, if carefully implemented alongside other measures, has the potential to substantially reduce the number of new coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and ICU admissions. Our models show we can stop the epidemic if approximately 60 per cent of the population, use the app and even with lower numbers of app users, we still estimate a reduction in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths.”
“The article goes on to say (page 2): ‘We need strategies to exit from the lockdown whilst minimising the risk of resurgence. Combined with other interventions such as community testing... digital contact tracing can help prevent coronavirus from rapidly re-emerging’.
“Another research article titled ‘Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 transmission suggests epidemic control with digital contact tracing’ by Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Ethics and the Humanities and Ethox Centre, and Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics stated: ‘The economic and social impact caused by widespread lockdowns is severe. Individuals on low incomes may have limited capacity to remain at home, and support for people in quarantine requires resources.
Businesses will lose confidence, causing negative feedback cycles in the economy. Psychological impacts may be lasting. Digital contact tracing could play a critical role in avoiding or leaving lockdown.’
“Therefore, it is clear that mass adoption of the careFIJI app can slow or even stop coronavirus transmission and prevent resurgence of COVID-19.
“The careFIJI app will assist in giving additional confidence to major trading partners such as Australia and New Zealand and regarding the Trans-Tasman travel bubble.
“You will appreciate that from Australia and New Zealand, Fiji received 562,560 visitors (threeyear average from 2017-2019) which is 64.4 per cent of total number of visitors in that period. The careFIJI app will potentially allow us to safely re-open our borders while keeping COVID-19 at bay –– saving lives and livelihoods alike. Additionally, this will help to grow Government revenue base from where resources can be re-assigned to further boost Government’s COVID-19 assistance.”
How does careFIJI work?
careFIJI is a very simple and easy to use app, which can be downloaded from Google PlayStore and Apple’s AppStore -- once available. Once the careFIJI app is downloaded, you can follow the self-explanatory steps to register yourself on the app. The app does not collect any personal information except for your mobile number, which is collected so that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services contact tracing team can contact you in the event you had crossed paths with a careFIJI app user recently diagnosed with COVID-19.
careFIJI app uses Bluetooth technology to look for other devices in close proximity which have the
careFIJI app installed. The app will perform “digital handshakes” with those devices and record reference ID of the mobile number, date, duration of contact and distance between the devices.
“This is not a COVID-19 contact tracing panacea and does not replace manual contact tracing. It supports and speeds up the current contact tracing efforts of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
Below is a brief illustration on how the careFIJI app works:
“Tevita installs the careFIJI app on his mobile phone as soon as it is available. If Tevita becomes ill, he calls 158 and visits the fever clinic. He gets tested for COVID-19 and when the results are in, he is informed that he has the COVID-19 disease. The careFIJI app can identify other users of the app that he has been in close contact with – over a period of 28 days. This period takes into account the COVID-19 incubation period and the time it takes to get tested and is the same as our quarantine policy.”
Unlike the more invasive technologies such as GPS which tracks people’s movements, careFIJI employs Bluetooth technology – just like your phone is able to connect to other Bluetooth enabled devices which lets you listen to music using your wireless earphones/headphones/ speakers or your health wearables like fitness bands or smart watches.
“Tevita’s phone Bluetooth detects other nearby phones that have the
careFIJI app installed. Anyone who is defined as being in close contact with Tevita over the past few days will be called by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services contact tracing team.”
“When Tevita is tested positive, the manual contact tracing began. This can be quite laborious and may take some time. The contact tracing team will try to identify who he has had contact with during the last 48 hours before he became ill, and will interview him about this. “Tevita tries hard to remember, but unfortunately cannot be sure that he remembers everyone. Therefore, not all of the people he has been in close contact with are noted in the interviews. This also does not include the strangers who were in close proximity to Tevita when he caught the bus a few days prior.”
Imagine trying to list everyone you talked to for the past two weeks in your normal, undistanced life. Not so easy. However, if both Tevita and the close contacts use the careFIJI app, the close contacts will be alerted earlier and thereby, saving their lives and the lives of others.