Pennsylvania Health Dept. Officially Announces COVID Alert PA App To Help Trace Spread Of Virus
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
HARRISBURG (KDKA) -- At a press conference Tuesday, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine officially announced the launching of a new app to help trace the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
"I'm very pleased to announce that we will be able to provide the COVID Alert PA Application to Pennsylvanians beginning in September. This app uses Bluetooth technology to let a person know that they have been exposed to COVID-19 without compromising their identity or their location," Dr. Levine said.
"We have partnered with experts at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania and our app developer...to develop a product that will be very easy to use. This innovative solution doesn't replace our case investigators and our over 1,200 contact tracers. It actually enhances their efforts."
Dr. Levine said that case investigations can be limited due to people's memories--they may forget who they may have been in contact with during each day, for instance.
"The app will be able to use exposure notification technology, developed by Apple and Google, to use Bluetooth to measure time and distance, such as any time someone is close proximity to another person," she added.
"And remember close proximity is defined as being within six feet for 15 minutes or more. The technology will let other app users know when they have come into close contact with someone who has later tested positive."
The entire system is anonymous and voluntary, according Dr. Levine. The app will reportedly work when Pennsylvanians travel to other states. Dr. Levine said the more Pennsylvanians who download the app, the better.
Dr. Levine wants to be clear: the app will not replace the job of case investigators or the state's over 1,200 contact tracers. She said it simply enhances their work. It's especially helpful if you don't know all the people you come into close contact with who later test positive for COVID-19.
"The more people who have the app, the more effective it will be," she said.
She's also stressing one other thing: "We are not using the app to enforce quarantines.
