The government launched Contact Tracing in Nepal, after approximately 35,500 reported cases of COVID and its growing risks to more people. The "Hamro Swasthya" application already available now has a new update which includes the contact tracing function for people infected with the corona.
The app uses BlueTooth for tracing, taking into account the privacy of its users. It would help to mitigate the hazards of COVID-19 to some degree, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.
Contact Tracing
Contact tracing is the method of recognizing people who have come into contact with the corona patients, to put it in the context. Many countries are now using Bluetooth monitoring software to monitor diseases and warn people in the event of hazards.
How does the COVID contract tracing work?
- As soon as the app is installed it will ask you to use your personal data and device ID for your permission.
- After you have given your permission, you will then need to login using your name and phone number.
- The final move is to turn your device's Bluetooth tracing on after reading the rules and features of the app.
The app collects Bluetooth devices' hardware identification number (Mac ID) which is about 10 meters from the device used by the user. It can not however collect the device's mobile number or ID. The app is unable to interpret information such as where the person travels to and from, who does he / she meet, and how long he / she stays around others.
However, the main aim of this app is to remind the user of the number of Bluetooth devices with which they came in contact. It even notifies the consumer how long they've been using the devices for. Experts say the person's name and personal information won't be released. This helps preserve the privacy of the app's users and their identity.In addition, the collected MAC IDs are stored only in the user's computer of the "Hamro Swasthya" app. According to the Ministry's statements, the details will be removed from the user's device itself after 14 days.
In addition to Contact tracing, the Hamro Swasthya app also includes information such as:
- Guide to your self-evaluation test and its outcome
- Updated data about the number of people infected, PCR tests and deaths in your town
- Data on number of people infected, PCR tests and deaths around the country
- Awareness and updates on the pandemic
Contact Tracking features
When an infected person does not use the "Hamro Swasthya" software it doesn't matter. If he / she comes around one of the app's users and flips on his Bluetooth, that's informed on the "Hamro Swasthya" app's dashboard. The Ministry of Health then, with the aid of the web manager, recognizes the infected person 's Bluetooth ID. The same process applies to the person who makes use of the Bluetooth tracing of the app.
The devices which have switched off their Bluetooth also keep receiving new updates from time to time in the app. The app checks whether the device ID is authentic or not, once it detects some new Bluetooth device on server. Furthermore, if the new device ID resembles any IDs whose information is already stored in the server, it will help to decide if it belongs to the same person.
If the IDs are identical, the Department will recommend that the owner of the product take a Corona test that doubts he / she will be infected.
Contact Tracing Advantages
- It replaces the conventional way of collecting data manually and relying on the patient's memory.
- The details can be published more easily and in a better way.
- The spread of the virus minimizes as people become well educated and well aware of their environment and patients around them who have been infected.
- Tracing of contacts keeps a thorough track of infections around the world.
- Might help ease the lockdown.
- People should test their health themselves without having to attend health centers or hospitals.
Worldwide application of contact tracing
Meanwhile, the other nations have been tracking the Coronavirus cases with Contact tracing for a very long time. This has been instrumental in lifting lockdowns and preventing contagions in their nations. Countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, and New Zealand, for example, used Contact tracing as one of their early steps to combat the pandemic.The findings now show that they have succeeded in reducing the infected patients' growth rate. To tell the truth, Vietnam is only recording 1040 cases of coronavirus, even after documenting 24.5 M cases of corona around the world in the current situation.
People have begun to expect that dealing with the pandemic would become "the new standard" And this virus is not going to go away quickly. In these cases, contact tracing may help individuals adapt to the new lifestyle. But it also has some drawbacks, since it may enable data misuse.It can have negative effects on society if it requires data protection. It would also allow for mass surveillance, allowing user activity to be easily spied on.
