Coronavirus: Test and Trace App

Health & Diet Health & Diet: In The News
1

A massive system to find people who come into close contact with those infected with coronavirus will start in England on Thursday, Boris Johnson has said.

The aim of the test and trace system is to move from lockdown for all towards more targeted measures.

However, scientists have warned it is not a “magic bullet” and may prevent between 5% and 15% of infections.

What will I have to do now?

As is currently the case, anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus - a persistent cough, fever or a sudden loss of taste or sense of smell - will have to isolate for seven days and the rest of their household for 14 days.

The difference is that from Thursday, everyone with symptoms should ask for a test online or call 119.

If the test comes back negative, everyone in your household can go back to normal.

But if the test comes back positive, the NHS Test and Trace team will get in touch - via text, email or phone call - to discuss who you have come into close contact with.

Any of those contacts deemed at risk of catching the virus will be instructed by the NHS to go into isolation for 14 days, whether they are sick or not.

They will be tested only if they develop symptoms. The rest of their household does not have to isolate, unless someone becomes ill.

There’s much more detail in the article - please read … :slight_smile:

2

What happens with the new app if:
a) You don’t know the person or they don’t have the app?
b) The person is a health worker or your GP or a nurse in a ward you’re in for some other reason?
c) If a child or teacher gets it and the whole class has to self isolate after just going back to school?
Just a few of the questions I would like answered.

3

Just keep on keeping your distance, until further notice, at the moment, politeness may be compromising common sense.

4

Many already think lockdown is over so I guess this is an ok to go back to your regular life?

5

I’m getting the gist of this … I think.
It’s in preference to lockdown.

I’m over simplifying here but …
Whether you bother with a downloadable app on your smartphone or not … if you develop Corona symptoms, from Thursday morning (tomorrow) you notify 111 online and are entitled to a test.
You inform them of anyone you’ve had close contact with.
Definition of close: Standing 1 metre next to someone for 15 minutes.
If you come back negative you can go out. You come back positive you have to isolate at hone, along with your family.
The recruited’ tracers’ hunt down any names you have given them.

It’s not a bad idea. Haven’t Europe been doing it for ages? Isn’t this why they reckon Germany got ontop of it so quick?

6

I seriously doubt it. Epidemiologists are now saying that Covid-19 has become endemic, even if a vaccine is developed. In other words it is here to stay, just like measles, chicken pox and the common cold. They say that as the virus burns through the worlds population, some people will eventually develop a natural immunity. This however will take decades. A vaccine, will assist the human body in fighting off the virus, but not a total immunity.

7

I had an email tonight saying I could apply for an antibody test online.
I can’t remember who it was from, and I’ve deleted it now.
They wanted £69 to do the test!

I think I agree with Bakerman when he says this virus is here to stay. If/when it goes now, I have a horrible feeling it will be back later.

Do you remember in the earlier days, they were saying it couldn’t survive heat?
Well that wasn’t correct was it, because it seems to have survived well enough in all the hot weather we’ve had in May.

As for this App thing - I would never be able to understand that. I don’t even know how to download an App.
We’re not all technical wizards y’know. :slight_smile:

8

The NHS contact tracing app is not ready to roll out and was described by Mr Hancock as a “complement”. He denied technical issues were delaying its roll out.

So the system is still a “manual” one - basically, you phone in if you think you’ve got the virus or the NHS phones you if you’ve been identified as having been incontact with someone who has phoned in.

9

Exactly. I don’t see how we can avoid a 2nd wave from the virus. Too many people are ignoring social distancing and not wearing face masks. If they want to play Russian roulette, that’s up to them , but they are putting other peoples lives in danger. :twisted:

10

Hi

Track and Trace is a Joke here in the UK.

Minimum wage with no training, Privatised.

Chris Whitty, Chief Scientist said on one of the Government Briefings, that we had a great deal of expertise here here in the UK and specifically mentioned EHOs.

I am an EHO and ex staff are used to doing Contract Tracing day in and day out.

Food Poisoning, Legionella, Exotic Diseases.

Totally excluded because the Government have privatised the system and are not sharing the information with Local Public Health Directors.

Another thing.

Opening up of shops and Factories.

The Government have said that any concerns will be dealt with by inspections of those shops and Factories.

What they did not say is that we the capacity to inspect shops and Factories once every 50 years.

11

I’d like an antibody test, I had really nasty virus in December, one daughter had the same, other daughter had even worse virus in January went to hospital with it.

Phoning thingy won’t work, who’s going to say their family member desperate to stay in work, struggling to cope, after months was chatting to them for 15 minutes?

12

Test and trace system kicks off in England and Scotland

Thousands of contact tracers are making their first phone calls to track down people who will be told to self-isolate under new test and trace schemes being launched in England and Scotland.

Tracers will text, email or call people who test positive with coronavirus and ask who they have had contact with.

Any of those contacts deemed at risk of infection will be told to isolate for 14 days, even if they are not sick.

Those who have already had the virus will also be asked to self-isolate.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said hospital trust leaders were questioning the risk being run by easing the lockdown without having local systems in place.

He also said it was “never going to be the case” that the UK would have a “world-class” test and trace system in place by June - in reference to a previous pledge made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Hopson said while work was progressing “at pace”, the UK was “weeks behind where we really ought to be”.

Another fine mess from Laurel and Hardy … :roll:

13

What if I am contacted by the tracers?

Anyone deemed at risk of infection will be told to stay at home for 14 days.

You will be asked to self-isolate, even if you do not have symptoms, to stop you from unknowingly spreading the virus.

This means that you should not leave your home for any reason. If you need food or medicine, you should order it online or by phone, or ask friends and family to drop it off on your doorstep.

So, the contacts have to self-isolate but their “contacts” (family, friends, etc) don’t … :confused2:

14

I said lockdown is over not covid. Covid definitely isn’t over. Hospital admissions are still happening. People are still dying. It’s just that most of us are meeting outside now where it’s more difficult to catch any virus.

The speed with which it moves I reckon it won’t take decades to burn out. It’s likely to be one or two years, depending on the mutation rate it will resurface in another form and possibly catch those who have already had it. Or maybe it won’t. Once you have flu immunity you end up with a milder illness than you might have. It’s still contagious but you don’t have such a severe reaction.

We will have a treatment or vaccine soon so

15

Some info on the antibody tests, Tess.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/29/coronavirus-test-antibody-uk-covid-19-superdrug-buy/

As for the contact tracers, what if we were contacted and told to isolate because we had been too near someone, then the same happened again, and again? We’d never be out of isolation!

I can’t see this working.
What if we had just stood close to a suspected ‘positive’ in a shop queue for example. The affected person wouldn’t know us for Adam so how could he/she pass our names to to the authorities.

Then are people who have to isolate monitored, or are they ‘presumed’ to be isolating? :confused:

I shall just carry on as I am I think, and just be careful and keep to the 2 mtr rule. I can manage that easier than faffing about with Apps.

16

Who am I allowed to meet?

From Monday in England, you will be able to meet in groups of up to six people from different households outside - either in parks or now also in private gardens - as long as you remain 2m (6ft) apart. For example, you could have a barbecue in someone’s back garden.

From Friday in Scotland, two separate households - up to a maximum of eight people - can meet outdoors, in a park or private garden. Social distancing rules still apply.

It means, for example, you could have a picnic in the park, or play a non-contact sport like tennis, golf or basketball, observing social distancing.

While people from different households are still not allowed to meet indoors, you can go through a house to access a garden. But you can’t extend your visit to stay overnight.

However, if you needed to do something like use the toilet during a visit, you would need to wipe down and clean everything afterwards, to lower the risk of transmission of the virus.

Meanwhile, anyone who is shielding and has been asked to stay at home should continue to do so.

In Wales, the BBC understands that people from two different households will be able to meet each other outdoors from Monday.

Groups of four to six people who do not share a household can meet outdoors in Northern Ireland, although outdoor weddings with 10 people present may be allowed from 8 June.

With all the to-ing and fro-ing that will now, undoubtedly, ensue, I suggest that, since we’re all waiting for the tracing app (:roll:) everyone should take notes of their movements and contacts - mobile phones may be used for mapping with confirmatory photos … :wink:

17

I’ll stick to common sense and logic - they’ve served me well so far!

18

Hi

Track and Trace is not ready.

Serco have messed it up.

19

Thanks Mups!

Is there any point in having the app unless you think you have symptoms?
Those people who have the virus and no symptoms won’t bother.

20

There are TWO track and trace systems being implemented in England - but only ONE is in effect - the manual system:

[LIST]
[*]Someone takes a COVID-19 test and proves positive

[*]That person then notifies the tracers, supplying details of contacts

[*]The tracers noftify the contacts and advise whether to self-isolate or not
[/LIST]

The app system is still being tested on the Isle of Wight - its effective date is uncertain.

Both systems SHOULD be working in conjunction to be successful.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/05/30/nhs-app-track-trace-uk-coronavirus/

On May 27, the UK revealed details of its manual track and trace system. For now, this is without a contact-tracing app. The UK’s Test and Trace chief, Dido Harding, refused to put a timeline on when the app would be launched.