Christian Carlos. With information from Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
"Throughout this pandemic, we have leveraged California's talent pool to combat this virus and that includes working with tech innovators like Apple and Google," said Gavin Newsom, governor of California.
With this, an app will be launched that will help smartphone users to stop the spread of COVID-19 through exposure alerts, which will let them know when they have come into contact with someone who has tested positive.
Such technology was developed in April 2020, but until now, the California government had the technology offered by Apple and Google. The company based in Cupertino, led by Tim Cook stated that:
Those of us at Apple and Google believe there has never been a more important time to work together to bring solutions to one of the world's most pressing problems. Through close cooperation and collaboration with developers, governments and public health providers, we hope to harness the power of technology and help countries around the world reduce the spread of COVID-19 and accelerate its return to our everyday lives.
In California, new digital tool will be called CA Notifywill be officially launched on Thursday, December 10. "When combined with other actions such as the use of masks and physical distancing, CA Notify can help curb the transmission of COVID-19," said Dr. Mark Ghaly, director of the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS).
CA Notify will be covered under the privacy scheme promoted by Apple:
"Privacy, transparency and consent are paramount in this journey and we will integrate that functionality in consultation with relevant stakeholders. We will publicly disclose information about our work so that others can analyze it," Apple said earlier this year.
Ghaly added, "This technology is another way Californians can take proactive steps to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe.
Notably, the state launched a pilot program in September for students, staff and faculty at the University of California, San Diego and San Francisco, and expanded to include five other campuses in mid-November.
Due to the privacy focus of CA NotifyIt is not possible to estimate how many students, faculty, staff and patients have enabled the application, but it is estimated that more than 250,000 people are using the technology as part of the pilot.
