Since COVID-19 can be transmitted through proximity to affected individuals, public health workers have identified contact tracing as an essential tool to flatten the curve of the pandemic. Several leading public health authorities, universities, and NGOs around the world have been ramping up efforts to undertake aggressive contact tracing of those who test positive for the coronavirus. But first, let*#8217;s understand what exactly is contact tracing.
[h=2]What is contact tracing?[/h]In the traditional process of COVID-19 contact tracing, health workers ask patients several questions about their activities, going as far back as the last two weeks, documenting all the places they have visited and the people they have met. Then, the COVID-19 volunteers or foot warriors reach out to all those people who may be at risk of infection and issue guidelines to them.
Fundamentally, the process of finding and reaching out to the contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 not only requires massive physical labor but it also consumes a lot of time. And in the case of an infectious pathogen like the novel coronavirus, time is an extremely critical element.
[h=2]What are Apple and Google doing?[/h]In a partnership that is as rare as it is ambitious, Apple and Google have announced they are joining forces to create a contact tracing solution that would help governments and health agencies to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The cross-platform, decentralized tracing tool will leverage Bluetooth technology to figure out if a person has come into contact with a COVID-19 patient.
Also see: Locust plague hits East Africa amid coronavirus crisis
The tech giants maintain that user privacy and security is central to their design and that all iOS and Android users would be able to choose whether they want to upload anonymized data to the system. The following images explain how Apple and Google
[h=2]What is contact tracing?[/h]In the traditional process of COVID-19 contact tracing, health workers ask patients several questions about their activities, going as far back as the last two weeks, documenting all the places they have visited and the people they have met. Then, the COVID-19 volunteers or foot warriors reach out to all those people who may be at risk of infection and issue guidelines to them.
Fundamentally, the process of finding and reaching out to the contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 not only requires massive physical labor but it also consumes a lot of time. And in the case of an infectious pathogen like the novel coronavirus, time is an extremely critical element.
[h=2]What are Apple and Google doing?[/h]In a partnership that is as rare as it is ambitious, Apple and Google have announced they are joining forces to create a contact tracing solution that would help governments and health agencies to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. The cross-platform, decentralized tracing tool will leverage Bluetooth technology to figure out if a person has come into contact with a COVID-19 patient.
Also see: Locust plague hits East Africa amid coronavirus crisis
The tech giants maintain that user privacy and security is central to their design and that all iOS and Android users would be able to choose whether they want to upload anonymized data to the system. The following images explain how Apple and Google