Exposure Notifications are now available on Android and Apple devices in Utah.
It's a form of digital contact tracing that uses Bluetooth to broadcast a random set of numbers, or tokens, to nearby smartphones that are also signed up to the service.
To make sure the tokens cant be used to identify you or your location, Google and Apple say they change every 10 to 20 minutes.
George McEwan, the IT Director at the Utah Department of Health said, "Think about it like a digital raffle where your phone is handing out tickets to everyone you meet and youre keeping half and theyre keeping half."
If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they enter a pin code into Exposure Notifications, which is sent to them by the Utah Department of Health.
Any smartphones that exchanged tokens within the last 14 days will get a notification that they may have been exposed to COVID-19, without revealing the positive person's identity.
McEwan said, "It works off of signal strength, so it's looking for a distance of 6 feet and 15 minutes of consecutive time spent in that range."
How to add Exposure Notifications to your phone:
On an Apple device
On an Android device
The only data the Utah Department of Health can see is how many COVID positive pin codes they have issued, and how many of them have been used.
All of the Exposure Notification matching happens on your device and the system does not share your identity with other users, Apple, or Google.
Public health authorities may ask you for additional information, such as a phone number, to contact you with additional guidance.
Exposure Notifications is completely separate from the Healthy Together app that Utah rolled out near the beginning of the pandemic.
McEwan said, "The Healthy Together app was designed to interact with the user to provide them with test results, allow them to do symptom checking, to provide a health passport, so that requires a one-to-one relationship where the app is aware of who the user is. The Google/Apple exposure notifications rely specifically on anonymity. It has no management of the user back and forth in terms of what you would see from the Healthy Together app."
Jenny Johnson, the Public Information Officer at the Utah Department of Health said, "Unfortunately the Healthy Together app didnt quite work the way that I think the state had thought it might. People were very hesitant because it did use both Bluetooth and location services in your phone."
Unlike the earliest version of Utah's Healthy Together App, Exposure Notifications does not track your GPS location.
Exposure Notifications can work across the country too.
"If you are in Utah and you travel to another region where the service is active and you return to Utah and that person then notifies their health department they are positive and they mark their keys as positive, youll still know about it in Utah," said McEwan.
Health authorities hope this will help more people know if they have been exposed to COVID-19, so they can get tested and treated sooner, rather than later.
"Thats the beauty of the tech is that it does narrow it down to the very probable individuals who could have exposed you to COVID, not everyone who was in a room," said McEwan.
Exposure Notifications rely on as many people opting into the service in order to be as effective as possible.
Johnson said, "Theres been some modeling in other states, which shows even a small adoption by a population of this technology can help augment existing public health contact tracing efforts, which can lower hospitalizations and even deaths in the pandemic."
You can also turn off Exposure Notifications at any time if you feel it's something that's not right for you.
"I think there will always be a segment of the population that is much more willing to engage in something like this and of course theres going to be a group that isnt going to do this," said Johnson.
You can find more information about Exposure Notifications on Utah's Coronavirus website or Google's explainer page.
More here:
COVID-19 Exposure Notifications are now active in Utah - fox13now.com - fox13now.com
- COVID-19 Vaccination Resource Center Ulster County COVID ... - March 2nd, 2021
- Covid-19 Live Updates: The U.S. Is Edging Toward Normal, Alarming Some Officials - The New York Times - March 2nd, 2021
- University of Mississippi Medical Center - March 2nd, 2021
- Pennsylvania COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard Update for Feb. 19-25: Case Increases at 12,967; Percent Positivity at 6.3% and 26 Counties... - March 2nd, 2021
- Inslee announces proclamations on COVID-19 and winter weather, updates air travel proclamation - Access Washington - March 2nd, 2021
- COVID-19 Relief Package Heads To Senate. Here's What To Watch - NPR - March 2nd, 2021
- A Quick Breakdown of the 3 Different COVID Vaccines - COVID-19, Featured, Health Topics - Hackensack Meridian Health - March 2nd, 2021
- Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 385 cases and 10 deaths one of them recent reported since Friday - Anchorage Daily News - March 2nd, 2021
- Coronavirus: CDC head warns of very concerning recent uptick in COVID-19 cases - KIRO Seattle - March 2nd, 2021
- Department of Health Feb. 14-20 Update On COVID-19 Investigations, Contact Tracing, Monitoring Efforts: Pennsylvanians Urged To 'Answer the Call,'... - March 2nd, 2021
- What we know and don't know about Covid-19 - BBC News - March 2nd, 2021
- Combatting the COVID-19 variant in Florida - Wink News - Wink News - March 2nd, 2021
- Atlanta-Based Task Force For Global Health To Help With COVID-19 Vaccines Around The Globe | 90.1 FM WABE - WABE 90.1 FM - March 2nd, 2021
- It definitely takes a [mental] toll on you: A look back at the Flyers COVID-19 shutdown - The Philadelphia Inquirer - March 2nd, 2021
- Active COVID-19 cases continue to decline, lowest in Tompkins County since November - The Ithaca Voice - March 2nd, 2021
- First cases of B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant identified in Southwest Va. - WWBT NBC12 News - February 28th, 2021
- VaccineFinder Maps Out Where Vaccines Are Available Near You : Shots - Health News - NPR - February 28th, 2021
- Delegate Jones bill protecting first responders COVID-19 workers compensation heads to Northams desk - WAVY.com - February 28th, 2021
- A look at major COVID-19 developments over the past week - Atlanta Journal Constitution - February 28th, 2021
- McMaster leads group of governors against COVID-19 relief bill WIS-TV - WIS10 - February 28th, 2021
- People skipping their COVID-19 second dose appointments is causing issues, health officials say - WSOC Charlotte - February 28th, 2021
- COVID-19 Daily Update 2-27-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources - February 28th, 2021
- COVID-19 relief, health care reform and more transparency: This week in Michigan politics - MLive.com - February 28th, 2021
- COVID-19: Families of school-aged children to get two rapid tests a week - Sky News - February 28th, 2021
- Elmont, NY Coronavirus Information - Safety Updates, News ... - February 26th, 2021
- Who is Going to Cover COVID-19 Hospitalizations? - The National Law Review - February 26th, 2021
- After 56 years together, COVID-19 forced them apart - OPB News - February 26th, 2021
- Doctors asking people who have been fully vaccinated to continue COVID-19 protocols - WKOW - February 26th, 2021
- Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 190 infections, no deaths reported Thursday - Anchorage Daily News - February 26th, 2021
- Some local businesses reinventing themselves in the face of COVID-19 - WECT - February 26th, 2021
- The effect of COVID-19 on air pollution - WGN-TV - February 26th, 2021
- Amid COVID-19 pandemic, flu has disappeared in the US - WIS10 - February 26th, 2021
- COVID-19 In Pittsburgh: Nearly 70 Inmates And Staff At Allegheny County Jail Infected - CBS Pittsburgh - February 26th, 2021
- Most kids and teens cant get the COVID-19 vaccine. So why did Pa. send thousands of doses to pediatricians? - The Philadelphia Inquirer - February 26th, 2021
- New measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 | UDaily - UDaily - February 26th, 2021
- Biden, Harris mark 50 million COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S. - WFLA - February 26th, 2021
- COVID-19 is exacerbating physician retention and burnout. Here are some tips to address it - FierceHealthcare - February 26th, 2021
- Can mouthwash prevent the spread of COVID-19? UNC researchers want to find out - WAVY.com - February 26th, 2021
- COVID-19 Information | Nash County, NC - Official Website - February 24th, 2021
- No-fault compensation programme for COVID-19 vaccines is a world first - World Health Organization - February 24th, 2021
- Article: COVID-19: Is It Time for Optimism? - WebMD - February 24th, 2021
- How to tell if it's COVID-19 or allergies this spring - Wink News - Wink News - February 24th, 2021
- A Team of WVU scientists are actively studying and fighting COVID-19 variants - WBOY.com - February 24th, 2021
- Houston Health Department opens 1,000 new COVID-19 vaccination appointments for February 24 - City of Houston - February 24th, 2021
- Perspective of patients with autoimmune diseases on COVID-19 vaccination - The Lancet - February 24th, 2021
- Oregon coast caf fined nearly $18K over COVID-19 rules - OregonLive - February 24th, 2021
- Department of Health Feb. 7-13 Update On COVID-19 Investigations, Contact Tracing, Monitoring Efforts: Pennsylvanians Urged To 'Answer the Call,'... - February 24th, 2021
- COVID-19 Daily Update 2-23-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources - February 24th, 2021
- The disease-resistant patients exposing Covid-19's weak spots - BBC News - February 24th, 2021
- Addressing fertility questions and concerns with the COVID-19 vaccine - UAB News - February 24th, 2021
- COVID-19 Measures Adopted in Dubai and Abu Dhabi - SHRM - February 24th, 2021
- Rapid COVID-19 testing pilot program coming to Washington schools - KING5.com - February 24th, 2021
- Some older Virginians unsatisfied with access to COVID-19 vaccine - WAVY.com - February 24th, 2021
- Snohomish schools partner with UW for COVID-19 testing and tracing - KING5.com - February 24th, 2021
- CDC study: Teachers key to COVID-19 infections in 1 district - ABC News - February 24th, 2021
- COVID-19 in South Dakota: 140 total new cases; Death toll rises to 1,863; Active cases at 1,966 - KELOLAND.com - February 22nd, 2021
- COVID-19 Vaccine | COVID-19 Vaccine - February 22nd, 2021
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Department of Health - February 22nd, 2021
- COVID-19: Latest Data - NYC Health - February 22nd, 2021
- Idaho's COVID-19 cases are dropping. Why? Everyone has a theory. Is yours right? - East Idaho News - February 22nd, 2021
- COVID-19 Daily Update 2-21-2021 - West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources - February 22nd, 2021
- First Church of God Toledo holds COVID-19 vaccination event for community - WTOL - February 22nd, 2021
- COVID-19 deaths continue to decline in ND, with one death reported Sunday - INFORUM - February 22nd, 2021
- Sen. Klobuchar, Allina Health highlight misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine online - KARE11.com - February 22nd, 2021
- Prospective mapping of viral mutations that escape antibodies used to treat COVID-19 - Science Magazine - February 22nd, 2021
- As COVID-19 forced businesses to close, owners have had to figure out what to do next - KTLA - February 22nd, 2021
- Newsom says there are problems with CAs COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Latino and Black communities - KTLA Los Angeles - February 22nd, 2021
- COVID-19 Data for Pennsylvania - Department of Health - February 20th, 2021
- Board presented findings from first COVID-19 audit - Multnomah County - February 20th, 2021
- How to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in PA ... - February 20th, 2021
- Elon Musk Got 4,000 SpaceX Workers to Join a Covid-19 Study. Heres What He Learned. - The Wall Street Journal - February 20th, 2021
- APH Provides Update on COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Sites - AustinTexas.gov - February 20th, 2021
- Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccinations back on the upswing, for now - Minnesota Public Radio News - February 20th, 2021
- Houston Health Department to resume COVID-19 vaccinations following winter storm - City of Houston - February 20th, 2021
- The potential effect of COVID-19-related disruptions on HIV incidence and HIV-related mortality among men who have sex with men in the USA: a... - February 20th, 2021
- A leaked report shows Pfizers vaccine is conquering covid-19 in its largest real-world test - MIT Technology Review - February 20th, 2021
- Covid-19 Was Spreading in China Before First Confirmed Cases, Fresh Evidence Suggests - The Wall Street Journal - February 20th, 2021
- Gov. Northam takes questions on COVID-19 issues including about when he thinks masks can come off - WAVY.com - February 20th, 2021
- Italian doctors remember night that ushered in Europe's first COVID-19 lockdown - Reuters - February 20th, 2021
- Michigan tops 100 COVID-19 workplace safety violations with latest batch - MLive.com - February 20th, 2021