A small central Vancouver Island medical applications software company has developed a COVID-19 contact tracing app that it says could speed up the process and save lives.
Parksville-based Verified Network was founded in 2013 to develop applications that allow medical professionals to conduct secure communications, including video conferencing, and share medical records between doctors, specialists and patients.
This week the company is releasing Verified TrackBack, a mobile app that alerts users if theyB次元官网网址檝e potentially been exposed to COVID-19.
The app works by recording GPS data from the userB次元官网网址檚 cell phone B次元官网网址� there is no communication with other phones or devices B次元官网网址� for 20 days, a period several days longer than the COVID-19 incubation period. Data older than 20 days is discarded.
B次元官网网址淭he idea was that weB次元官网网址檇 create an app that the individual can carry around in their day-to-day life without even thinking about it, but if they get into a situation where they do become symptomatic or have been exposed to COVID, theyB次元官网网址檒l need to be able to say, well, these are the folks that IB次元官网网址檝e been in contact with, these are the locations IB次元官网网址檝e visited over a period of time,B次元官网网址� said Andy Chapman, Verified Network chief executive officer and software developer.
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COVID Alert, a contact tracing app currently used by the federal government, relies on Bluetooth to function. The problem with that arrangement, Chapman said, is the user must have Bluetooth turned on, so thereB次元官网网址檚 added drain on the phoneB次元官网网址檚 battery, and the phone is continually communicating with other devices via Bluetooth, which he said is worrisome because one doesnB次元官网网址檛 know what information is being communicated to other devices within a 15- to 20-metre radius.
B次元官网网址淭he way our app works is a little bit different,B次元官网网址� Chapman said. B次元官网网址淭he individual can turn it on or off at any time and all it does is store GPS location.B次元官网网址�
Should a cell phoneB次元官网网址檚 owner develop COVID symptoms, the stored GPS data could be used, for example, by the B.C. Centre for Disease ControlB次元官网网址檚 contact tracing staff allowing the CDC to relay to Island Health that there was a potential exposure at a specific place and time.
B次元官网网址淥r, through our application, they can actually send a note to any other [app user] that was in the same location or time frame,B次元官网网址� Chapman said. B次元官网网址淪o if there happened to be three, five, 10 other people using the app in that location, our app would send a notification through saying youB次元官网网址檝e been exposed or potentially exposed. You should probably contact your health care provider B次元官网网址� We donB次元官网网址檛 use Bluetooth and we certainly donB次元官网网址檛 share any information that is personal to that individual. The only information we capture is the unique device ID B次元官网网址� and the co-ordinates related to that device, the GPS latitude and longitude.B次元官网网址�
Three weeks of time and location data can quickly offer accurate contact tracing, the company said, which can benefit the user, businesses the user visited, and health authorities.
The more people who have the app, the more effective it is at being able to provide warnings, so Verified Network is offering it free for individuals.
Chapman said the app can also be used as a personal tracker for sports and outdoor activities and personal safety.
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Dr. Julian Lisinski, a long-time Ladysmith family and ER physician, Verified NetworkB次元官网网址檚 medical advisor and one of the companyB次元官网网址檚 founders, said he has been in contact with Island Health, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and other government contacts across Canada about the app and the company will demonstrate it to representatives at McMaster University this week.
As numbers of COVID infections continue to rise during the pandemicB次元官网网址檚 second phase and vaccines are weeks to months away from being widely available, he said, the app could save lives.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e trying to get the word out that there is an app that is free on an individual basis, that we are convinced B次元官网网址� I am convinced as a physician B次元官网网址� that if enough people had this app, the contact tracing for COVID would be speeded up significantly,B次元官网网址� Lisinski said. B次元官网网址淭his app would save lives and itB次元官网网址檚 such a simple thing to do B次元官网网址� we need to get this app out because it will make a massive difference at a time that is critical.B次元官网网址�
Verified TrackBack is currently being reviewed by Apple App Store and Google Play and could be available for download as of Friday, Dec. 11. For more information, visit .
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