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The system then notifies other phones with the app if they have been exposed to the virus through the Apple-Google system, which unscrambles keys based on when the phones were in close range with each other.
Covidwise then urges the individual to get tested or quarantine for 14 days.
“For the purpose of this app, there wasn’t an absolute need to be able to track where you are or who you are,” Jeff Stover, director of the Virginia Department of Health, said on a video call with reporters.
“The most important thing was that you know whether or not you’ve potentially been exposed, and that we can all take actions to do whatever prevention is necessary.”
Virginia paid SpringML $229,000 to develop the Covidwise app, and it was funded by the CARES Act.
Experts’ main concern about the Apple-Google app is that because they need to be installed by a large percentage of the population to work effectively, if a phone isn’t running the app, then it will miss potential exposures.
Specifically, one study at Oxford University suggested that 60 percent of the population would need to install an exposure notification app to suppress the virus.
“Effective is going to be anyone’s guess as how you want to describe that. But they also state in an Oxford study that they estimate that for every one to two app users, you will potentially reduce the infection by one,” Stover said.
Virginia plans to advertise the app on billboards, digital ads, and through partnerships with schools and workplaces.
Additionally, Google has offered advertising credits for its search engine and Google Play app store, officials said.
The app was released four months after Apple and Google partnered to create app-building software for public health agencies working to contain the spread of the virus.
As part of the initiative, the companies will also enable a broader Bluetooth-based contact-placing platform, which is more advanced than an API. This will allow a broader range of individuals to participate if they so choose.
Google stressed that user privacy, transparency, and consent are vital in this effort, and the company will continue to build this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders.
Google stated that 20 states and territories are exploring apps based on its system. While the app works outside of Virginia, positive tests require a six-digit pin from the Virginia Department of Health to notify others, which may limit its range.
According to experts, one of the most successful exposure apps using the Apple-Google system is in Germany.
Meanwhile att the end of July, the UK government banned a centralized contact-tracing app for England and switched to a decentralized version based on the Apple-Google toolkit.
The Corona-Warn-App was rolled out in June, and by mid-July, it had been installed by over 16 million people.
"A successful start that speaks for great interest and acceptance among the population," the app's developer said in a statement.
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