HSE Covid-19 contact tracing app goes live

The HSE's long-awaited Covid-19 contact tracing app has gone live and it has already been downloaded tens of thousands of times.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly officially launched the app which is available as an App for Apple and Android devices and it can be found by simply searching "Covid Tracker" on your regular App Stores.

Covid Tracker is expected to be number one on all App stores in Ireland today.

The minister said the app “could be and hopefully will be a really powerful part of the toolkit in fighting this disease."

He also addressed privacy concerns - stating that there will be no giant centralised storing of personal data and users will be able to choose to share as much or as little personal information as they want.

“It allows every single person to play an extra part," said the minister.

This app will -

*Record if a user is in close contact with another user by exchanging anonymous codes that are held on the users’ phones.

*Should one person test positive for covid-19 - the system will then be able to alert all of the people they have been recorded as being in close contact with.

*It will be a tool for contact tracing, symptom tracking and for spreading alerts and information about the virus.

*For all of the official information and downloading info - just click on the HSE's official tracker page.

One of the great hopes the HSE has for the app is that it will allow them to quickly zone in on isolated outbursts and localised spikes - one of the greatest risks in a so-called "Second Wave" scenario.

The app can allow the HSE to use teams of "Fire Fighters" to quickly respond to localised flare-ups of Covid-19 and deal with it before it spreads.