In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Utah, the state launched coronavirus exposure notifications on Wednesday using the Apple and Google framework.The Apple-Google API uses anonymous tokens and bluetooth to trace exposure between people. If someone tests positive, the Utah Department of Health gives them a verification code to enter into the Exposure Notifications system. The API uses that information to alert others who’ve come into contact with that person, advising them to watch to watch for symptoms and to get tested.
According to Navina Forsythe, the director of UDOH’s Center for Health Data and Informatics, exposure notifications in combination with manual contact tracing can reduce COVID-19 infections by 15% and reduce deaths by 11%. She says if more people participate, it can lead to “even greater reductions in disease.”
Exposure notifications are built into the new iOS13.7. Android users need to download a UT Exposure Notifications app in order to participate in the program.
