Published by the Department of Public Health and Social Services COVID-19 Warning Application, 24,000 people – 32.9% of adults in Guam – have registered to come in close contact with users and send alerts if they have been exposed to the corona virus.
“We are beginning to see a downward trend in our social outreach, which is evident in our COVID area risk score and our positive events,” said Public Health Spokeswoman Genela Carrera.
“It’s a positive sign, we’re optimistic about it, but we’re not out of the woods,” Carrera said.
The app comes at no cost to users who are taxpayers, and leaders make the initiative private, but do so voluntarily for the smartphone user.
How does the COVID-19 warning application work?
Here’s how the COVID-19 Alert app works: It allows users to download the app and use their phone’s Bluetooth technology to detect it when a user is in prolonged and close contact with another person using the app.
Then, whenever the app detects another nearby user for more than 15 minutes, it registers that user as a contact. A user who later tests positive for the corona virus can upload their test results into the app, which alerts everyone who logs in to a test, reminding them to search for a test or to isolate themselves.
“This will give you a deadline for your exposure and you can use that information to let you know at what point in your isolation you should be,” Carrera said.
Further:Daily COVID-19 testing begins Monday across the island
Extra contact tracking if use
Since the island’s manual contact tracers operate in the background, island leaders have bet that any additional contact tracking will help.
“Since the incubation period is anywhere from one, two, to 14 days, it’s hard to say what’s coming up during Thanksgiving and the holidays,” Carrera said.
Further:No COVID-19 penalty was given on Thanksgiving Day
At a time when the corona virus is on the decline in the islands, public health professionals overseeing efforts to find contact across villages have grown confident, with dozens of confirmed new cases now every day.
“Based on what we hear from Guam Memorial Hospital, it’s not as bad as we had blue medical tents a few weeks ago,” Carrera said. Temporary medical tents have been removed.
60% off target to stop transaction
When the application was launched in September, civil leaders encouraged residents to download the warning app.
Two-thirds of the population must use the application effectively. Guam has met half a point.
Further:Penalties for violating public health COVID-19 orders, effective Thanksgiving Day
Testing for the use of smartphones against the spread of the Corona virus novel saw small but steady increases.
As of the evening of November 29, seven patients are in the intensive care unit and two are using ventilators.
“It’s a dramatic drop from where we were three or four weeks ago,” Carrera said.
Beatrice Ashford is a contributor at Nintendo-power.com, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the world around them.