New Jersey launched a COVID-19 exposure notification mobile app that will help to supplement the effort to trace and contact those who have been exposed to COVID-19.
The state and region have had an increase of COVID-19 positive cases with Gov. Phil Murphy stating that the numbers “show that the second wave of the coronavirus is no longer something off in the future; it is coming, and it is coming now.”
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware now have a regional COVID Alert app network that operates across state lines to stop the spread of the virus.
“Over the course of our public health emergency, we’ve called for a shared sense of personal responsibility to support our contact tracing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Murphy said. “With the launch of COVID Alert NJ and our regional app network, New Jerseyans and residents in our neighboring states can support our fight against COVID-19 simply by downloading an application on their phone. The app is free and secure, and your identity, personally identifying information, and location will never be collected. The more phones that have the app, the better we can fight this pandemic.”
How it works
The app uses Exposure Notification System technology developed by Google and Apple to strengthen contact tracing programs. It will notify users if they have been within six feet for at least 10 minutes of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
The app notifies users of potential COVID-19 exposure while maintaining user privacy and security. It does not track or collect any location data or personal data from a user’s phone, according to the governor’s office.
The COVID Alert app does not use GPS location data but instead uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to detect when another phone with the same app is within six feet. Once the app is downloaded, users must opt-in to receive “Exposure Notifications,” which they can turn off at any time.
When the app senses a “close contact,”your phone will exchange a secure random code with the close contact’s phone. An individual’s location, name, or personally identifiable data are never disclosed.
If you test positive for COVID-19, a public health representative from the local health department will call as part of the state’s contact tracing program and ask if you are willing to anonymously notify your “close contacts” by uploading your app’s anonymous close contact codes.
Each day, the app will compare your list of close contact codes to the list of codes associated with positive COVID-19 app users.
If there’s a match, you will get an Exposure Alert, along with appropriate next steps to stay safe, prevent community spread, self-quarantine, and instructions to get tested. The COVID Alert app never reveals the identity of the COVID-19 positive individual.
The COVID Alert NJ app will work in conjunction with similar apps in Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania, allowing New Jerseyans to continue to receive exposure notifications when exposed to residents of those states.
The app provides users with the latest information about COVID-19, including publicly reported testing data and features a symptom checker where users can anonymously record daily symptoms.
“COVID-19 knows no borders, and COVID Alert NJ will help us break the chain of transmission,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “COVID Alert NJ helps expand our contact tracing efforts, along with our neighboring states, in battling the pandemic, particularly among young adults, and also protects privacy and data. The greater the participation, the more effective COVID Alert NJ will be in helping all of us to beat this virus.”
Visit covid19.nj.gov/app for more information about COVID Alert NJ.
Stay vigilant
As of Oct.30, there have been 236,523 COVID-19 cases across the state and a total of 14,546 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths.
On Oct. 29 there were 2,089 new positive cases reported, and the rate of transmission was 1.26.
As of Oct. 30, Hudson County had the second-highest total of new positive COVID-19 cases at 235 after Essex County with 273 new positive cases.
Since the start of the pandemic, Hudson County has had more than 23,000 positive COVID-19 residents.
“We have been seeing the numbers of new cases grow exponentially across the past several weeks and along with that, the numbers of patients being treated in our hospitals has similarly been on the rise,” Murphy said on Oct. 29. “We are now urging you to double down on the practices that helped us flatten the curve in the first place last spring and throughout the summer: social distancing, washing your hands with soap and water frequently or using the high alcohol hand sanitizers, and critically, wearing a mask.”
He said he understands that everyone is suffering from “pandemic fatigue,” but “this virus has been waiting for us to get lax in our personal responsibilities, so that it can come roaring back. And in particular, we’re seeing many of the new cases linked to small gatherings in private homes, where folks are more apt to let their guard down, especially in not social distancing.”
He urged people across the state to “get back to that level of vigilance that you showed six months ago, so that we could beat back this second wave.”
For the latest COVID-19 figures and state information go to covid19.nj.gov.
For updates on this and other stories check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Marilyn Baer can be reached at Marilynb@hudsonreporter.com.
