Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE HSE STILL intends to roll out its Covid-19 contact tracing app by the end of this month despite reported delays with the process.
Speaking at the HSE’s weekly Covid-19 briefing, HSE CEO Paul Reid said health officials are working with Google and Apple to develop the app’s API (application programming interface).
Reid added that the app will be opt-in and support, rather than replace, current contact-tracing processes.
“The app will be an element of the overall contact tracing system, and that has been the experience in Europe.
“It is part of a process of a wider contact and tracing system, it is not the only solution,” Reid said.
A soft pilot launch will take place before the app is rolled out to the general public.
Dr Sarah Doyle, HSE Consultant in Public Health, told reporters it’s her understanding that the app is on track be launched by the end of May.
Under the plans, phones with the app installed will exchange Bluetooth signals when users are in close proximity to each other. Similar apps have been developed in other countries in response to the pandemic.
However, some concerns have been raised about privacy as well as the app’s accuracy.
Privacy concerns
Doyle said privacy concerns have “understandably” arisen in relation to the app and these are being taken into consideration. She said a data protection impact assessment is ongoing, describing this as “really important”.
She reiterated that signing up to the app will be voluntary and that the information stored on it will not be transferred to a centralised server.
“It is voluntary, it is anonymous, you must be over 16 [to use the app].
“So, all of those things need to be worked out to make sure that everybody is satisfied about the ability of the app to identify close contexts and to enhance and enable our contact tracing, but I suppose also to be sure about the privacy concerns that understandably arise in relation to it.”
Doyle also stressed that the app “will complement”, not replace, current contact tracing methods.
“The purpose of contact tracing is identification of the case to make sure that they’re doing what they need to do – self-isolation to prevent the spread of infection.
“And then also identification of contacts, so we will continue to have the full conversation with cases to identify their close contacts.”
Doyle said if and when a person receives a phone call telling them they’ve been in touch with a person who has Covid-19, they will be asked if they have downloaded the app and consent to it being used as part of the contact tracing process.
“Others who have also downloaded the app and have been in close contact during the infectious period, they will receive a push notification to say ‘You’ve been in close contact with somebody with Covid-19′,” Doyle said.
The alert will also include advice and information, she added.
During the week, Health Minister Simon Harris said he wants an “all-island approach” to the app.
“It is my intention that it would, of course, be available to residents in Northern Ireland through the UK Apple Store.
“I will come back about the ways in which we can make that happen and we are having conversations with colleagues in relation to an all-island approach, of which this is one element.”
Contains reporting from PA
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I wonder if Elon can bankrupt Twitter as fast as Truss tanked the UK economy…
@Rui Firmino: He’s giving it a good shot to be fair…he’s completely out of his depth.
@Rui Firmino: I think you got it backwards. When it took it over it was losing millions a day, $4 million a day at the moment. He is trying to reverse that.
@Celtic Eagle: *When he took it over..
@Celtic Eagle: bet it’s losing more than €4m a day now ….
@MrHammey12: who knows, but if a business genius takes over a failing company then it’s strange to say ‘he will bankrupt the company’. I’ve a funny feeling they are political comments by woke liberals.
@Celtic Eagle: He’s not gonna ride ya
@OnlyHereForTheComments: It’s almost embarassing to see these Elon fanboys.
@Rui Firmino: I’m not a fanboy. I’m just stating facts. It seems to me your very emotional on the subject
@Celtic Eagle: Don’t be daft. The only thing I feel seeing this mess is contempt.
@Celtic Eagle: maybe if you say “woke liberals” a few more times Elon will invite you over to his gaff for a few drinks?
@Celtic Eagle:
@Celtic Eagle: Twitter made $1.3 billon profit in the last 4 years, in 2018-2021. It’s profits were knocked in 2020 and 2021 by a drop in advertising due to the pandemic.
Last year Twitter reduced its losses to $221 millon (on $5 billon revenue) was likely, contrary to what Elon claimed, set to become profitable this year. He’s messed that up.
Year Net Profit ($)
2018 1206
2019 1466
2020 -1136
2021 -221
And who knows where invites to gaffs and drinks can potentially lead!
@Mel Fitzpatrick: yep, his blue checkmark changes enabled 1 troll for 8 dollars to wipe 4.37% value off of the stock price of a 336 billion dollar pharma company with 1 tweet. Over 14.5 billion just went poof!
So thrashing it out with randomers on Twitter is the how Twitter is developing it’s HR policies now .If it wasn’t so serious for Twitter staff it would be funny .
Wow just as the UK government starts to make sensible sounding noises and threatens to end the ongoing comedy soap Elon comes to the rescue and brings us hilarious antics as he trys to make twitter pay off. Instead of millions of people getting messed about it’s only a few thousand most of whom are probably already planning moves and toughing it out for redundancy pay.
He told the Tesla managers that if they didn’t want to come to the office for at least 40 hours per week they could pretend to work at home for someone else.
Can someone explain why you would pay an absolute fortune for a company that’s losing $4 million a day, surely you’d buy it for way less then try and turn it around to make a profit???
have your say