Tracing Apps Falling Short, but Could Spur Future Monitoring: GlobalData

COVID-19 tracing apps must overcome “significant hurdles,” said GlobalData Tuesday, citing issues with the U.K.’s recently released National Health Service app. Current versions can’t account for factors that reduce transmission risk, such as wearing masks, said the researcher, and false positives are possible because Bluetooth can penetrate thin walls. A key goal of contact tracing apps is to reduce tracing delay and increase coverage without having to hire thousands of workers, but there’s little evidence current apps are effective, it said. France’s app was released June 2, but just 3% of that population had downloaded it by mid-August. Research suggests at least 56% of a population needs to use a contact tracing app for it to be effective, said analyst Dominic Tong. Accuracy and concerns over privacy may have contributed to low uptake, Tong said: “Consumers may be worried that the data collected could be used to track them, while experts fear that smartphone-based solutions may exclude vulnerable populations that need them the most." The apps could be a precursor to healthcare solutions where smartphones and wearables let doctors monitor the health status of patients in real time, he said.