UC Berkeley launches COVID-19 exposure notification system

The smartphone-based publicity notification system — California COVID Notify — launched for the UC Berkeley neighborhood Monday, Nov. 16. It’s a privacy-first strategy to utilizing expertise to help in COVID-19 contact tracing. (Photograph by Patrick Holmes)

UC Berkeley has a brand new instrument to assist gradual the unfold of COVID-19: California COVID Notify. As soon as enrolled, individuals will get an alert in the event that they had been uncovered to COVID-19. 

Opting in to the system is straightforward. For iPhone customers, the method entails upgrading to iOS model 14.2 after which turning on publicity notifications in settings. Android customers obtain an app. Full directions for opting in on an iPhone and a non-public hyperlink to obtain the Android app can be found on the California COVID Notify website.

The smartphone-based publicity notification system launched for the UC Berkeley neighborhood at the moment (Monday, Nov. 16). California COVID Notify is constructed on the Publicity Notification System developed by Apple and Google. It’s a privacy-first strategy to utilizing expertise to help in touch tracing. A consumer’s id is rarely revealed, and their location is rarely tracked. As a substitute, nameless keys are exchanged utilizing Bluetooth and never linked to a consumer’s id or location. 

A number of states within the U.S. and plenty of international international locations are already utilizing the expertise from Apple and Google. California COVID Notify is modeled after the SwissCovid app developed by Switzerland, which was the primary nation to make use of the expertise. The configuration aligns with CDC pointers and defines an in depth contact as being lower than 6 toes aside for a cumulative quarter-hour in a 24-hour interval.

The launch of California COVID Notify at UC Berkeley is a part of a College of California pilot of the expertise on behalf of the state of California. The hope is to quickly develop availability to everybody within the state. The pilot started at UC San Diego and UC San Francisco earlier this fall and has been profitable in slowing the unfold of COVID-19 on these campuses. Along with the UC Berkeley campus, the pilot can be increasing to UC Davis, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and Berkeley Lab. 

Smartphone-based publicity notification augments conventional contact tracing. It will possibly pace the method of figuring out shut contacts and make it potential to inform unknown contacts. When somebody exams constructive for COVID-19, they’re supplied with a PIN to enter into their telephone. Anybody who might have been uncovered then receives a notification with directions to quarantine and to contact their well being care supplier. 

To be able to keep away from false positives, the expertise makes use of Bluetooth sign energy and length to routinely decide what qualifies as a possible publicity. UC San Diego reported only a few cases of false positives through the preliminary pilot. 

California COVID Notify is one other layer of safety for the UC Berkeley neighborhood. Along with sporting a face protecting, bodily distancing, getting examined commonly and washing one’shands, opting in to publicity notifications is one other method that college students, workers and college can assist gradual the unfold of COVID-19 on campus and in the neighborhood.