The world faces a massive surge of the growing cases of the notorious Novel Coronavirus that is infecting the lives of millions in the world, mainly in the Big Apple, New York, as the city's positivity rate reached 1.52 percent. In response to this, New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo, recently launched a contact tracing application that uses Bluetooth, called 'COVID Alert NY.'
New York has been facing one of the worst cases of COVID-19 cases in the country, as the city met rapid infection rates and fatalities in the past months. According to Worldometer's COVID-19 statistics, New York currently records a whopping 494 thousand positive cases with 33 thousand deaths.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently addressed this issue through a press conference and introduced the native contact tracing smartphone application called 'COVID Alert NY.' This application would help New Yorkers not only in contact tracing but also in giving alerts whenever a positive case is in the close six-foot proximity of a user.
The State of New York's government, led by Governor Cuomo, is now urging the public to utilize the application to help fellow New Yorkers in the fight and safety against the Novel Coronavirus. The contact tracing application would alert a person whenever they would come near a positive case, even after the event.
'COVID Alert NY' is a joint development in cooperation with the State of New York, from some of the biggest technology names. Fortunately, the application is free to download through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store now.
COVID Alert NY: Alerting You for Safety Against COVID
New York State's contact tracing application was created through the help of the world's prominent names in technology: Apple, Google, and Linux. The joint venture helps the state, particularly New York City, who saw a massive rise in its affliction rates.
Google, Apple, and Linux are known software and operating system developers of computers, with the macOS, Android, and Linux OS that received global fame. The application is available for download to residents 18 years of age and above.
The Bloomberg Philanthropy Organization also donated $700,000 for the application's development cost, which made it possible for the State of New York to offer the app to the public for free. Currently, 15,000 assigned detectives will monitor the application's contact tracing functions to alert users.
According to the New York Government's official website, both New York and New Jersey received contact tracing applications, both for each state. Governor Cuomo and Murphy's efforts also focus on maintaining data privacy for the public's safety and convenience.
COVID Alert NY: How does it work?
The application would ask for personal credentials and information to create an account, which will be compiled under the state's records. After then, the app would remain on its own and give updates regarding the state's cases.
The application would only alert people whenever there is a close proximity of COVID-19 positive case nearby. It will know when user spends over 10 minutes within six feet of another user. Also, a person would be alerted if ever a person detected within six feet of the user would test positive in the following days. This will give the user an idea of whether to test themselves and isolate for the next 14 days.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isaiah Alonzo
