Latest on the Corona Virus

[slimslob]

Your phone can send you an alert if you were near someone who has coronavirus


As new coronavirus cases explode nationwide, health officials are turning to cell phones to help slow the spread of infections.

Thanks to technology available on Apple and Google phones, you can now get pop-up notifications in some states if you were close to someone who later tested positive for Covid-19. The alerts come via state health department apps that use Bluetooth technology to detect when you (or more precisely, your phone) has been in close contact with an infected person's phone.

While these apps can't keep you safe -- they only let you know after you've been exposed -- they could prevent others from getting infected if you take precautions, such as self-quarantining, after receiving an alert.

Millions of people are signing up, although these apps aren't yet available in many states. Health officials believe the alerts could be especially helpful in cases where an infected person has been in contact with strangers -- for example in a bus, train or checkout line -- who wouldn't otherwise know they were exposed.

... this alert system has been available for free Canada wide for several months. I have the app installed on my Android phone and check it every day.

It is available free every where and is totally useless. It has no way of knowing who has the virus but has not yet tested positive. It also is totally unable to actually track the location of an individually who has tested positive nut is neither hospitalized nor quarantining at a fixed location and does not wish to be tracked.

[SalesServiceGuy]

It is available free every where and is totally useless. It has no way of knowing who has the virus but has not yet tested positive. It also is totally unable to actually track the location of an individually who has tested positive nut is neither hospitalized nor quarantining at a fixed location and does not wish to be tracked.

.. most people carry their cellphones wherever they go. The app, via Bluetooth, constantly pings those other cellphones around it. Via geo-tracking, the app can determine if you have been in close proximity to a person or group of people who are at risk of infection.

... maybe you are talking about some other form of technology. The one used in Canada works quite well. The app does not tell you if you have COVID-19 only that you have come in close proximity to someone that has. If the app warns you, it is your civic duty to get a COVID-19 test.

[BillyCarpenter]

.. most people carry their cellphones wherever they go. The app, via Bluetooth, constantly pings those other cellphones around it. Via geo-tracking, the app can determine if you have been in close proximity to a person or group of people who are at risk of infection.

... maybe you are talking about some other form of technology. The one used in Canada works quite well. The app does not tell you if you have COVID-19 only that you have come in close proximity to someone that has. If the app warns you, it is your civic duty to get a COVID-19 test.

Can this technology do the same for folks with a criminal record? I'd like to know when to walk to the other side of the street when I'm approaching a thug.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Can this technology do the same for folks with a criminal record? I'd like to know when to walk to the other side of the street when I'm approaching a thug.

... probably but super unlikely. A criminal would only have to turn off the bluetooth feature on his phone.

[BillyCarpenter]

... probably but super unlikely. A criminal would only have to turn off the bluetooth feature on his phone.

Good point. But if liberals are gonna keep releasing these criminals into society, we need some kind of technology to track them. Can we put a chip in 'em?

[slimslob]

.. most people carry their cellphones wherever they go. The app, via Bluetooth, constantly pings those other cellphones around it. Via geo-tracking, the app can determine if you have been in close proximity to a person or group of people who are at risk of infection.

... maybe you are talking about some other form of technology. The one used in Canada works quite well. The app does not tell you if you have COVID-19 only that you have come in close proximity to someone that has. If the app warns you, it is your civic duty to get a COVID-19 test.

It still depends on the infected person having a device, the device having the app installed and the app somehow knowing that the individual is infected. Too many variables to allow for an accurate notification.

[slimslob]

... probably but super unlikely. A criminal would only have to turn off the bluetooth feature on his phone.

Many people, myself included, keep Bluetooth turned off if they not need to connect to a headset on vehicle. Extends battery life.

[BillyCarpenter]

It still depends on the infected person having a device, the device having the app installed and the app somehow knowing that the individual is infected. Too many variables to allow for an accurate notification.

You're talking in logical terms. You have to understand the mind of a liberal. You see...they need to be the smartest person in the room at all times and they're gonna do stuff that make them appear to care more than anyone and then they can criticize those who don't follow suit.

[SalesServiceGuy]

It still depends on the infected person having a device, the device having the app installed and the app somehow knowing that the individual is infected. Too many variables to allow for an accurate notification.

... the app does not know that the owner of the cell phone is infected. The app only knows that this cellphone was in close proximity to someone else who was in an area known to have recent COVID-19 infections (like a Trump rally). The app then suggests that the owner of the phone should go in for testing.

... you seem to imply that unless this app is perfect in every situation, it is useless.

... unless you have a better solution, something is better than nothing.

[BillyCarpenter]

.
... unless you have a better solution, something is better than nothing.

That's simply not true. Some things give folks a false sense of security and that's what sometimes gets them in trouble. I'd say masks may be a prime example of that.