SALEM, Ore — Oregon and Washington will soon have new tools to assist in COVID-19 contact tracing.
"This is really part of a multifaceted approach," said Dr. Timothy Menza with the Oregon Health Authority. "Exposure notifications are alerts that people can receive on their phones to let them know if they've had exposure with someone who is diagnosed with COVID-19."
For months, Menza's team in Oregon has worked with Google and Apple to develop new apps. The tech companies have already done the same thing for more than a dozen other states.
The systems are built-in updates to a smartphone's operating system. If people opt in, their phone sends out random codes via Bluetooth. When people and phones are near each other, the phones send those signals back and forth.
Later, if someone tests positive for COVID-19, that person can submit an anonymous notification to the system. That notification gets sent out to anyone with matching Bluetooth codes who may have had close exposure.
The codes do not contain any personal information, and notifications only alert someone of the date of exposure, not from whom or where.
"It's not GPS technology," Menza explained. "We just know we were in relative contact with one another, within six feet, for about 15 minutes."
Menza said privacy is a cornerstone of these exposure notification systems. Because people have to opt in, he said the point is personal and public safety, not tracking COVID-19 movement. OHA will not receive any identifying information, but will receive numbers about the notifications sent out.
When people get notified of potential COVID-19 exposure, Menza said the goal is for them to isolate, get tested, contact public health departments, and ultimately limit the spread of further community infections.
"It's an anonymous way to notify your contacts. It's [also] a way to notify folks that you don't know," Menza said. "Really none of the data about the person will be collected by any agency."
He explained if there's a 15% uptake of the system among Oregon's adult population, there would be about 15% fewer coronavirus infections and 11% fewer deaths.
"That means 240 fewer infections per week in Oregon," Menza said.
OHA plans to test the system on a local college campus first to determine if it works properly. After that, Google and Apple will roll out phone updates in December or January, asking people to opt in to the system.
"This is just another tool in our toolbox," Menza said. "Here's another way you can protect yourself and loved ones from COVID."
