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Oregon is one of four states along or west of the Continental Divide that has yet to launch smartphone technology to help with coronavirus contact tracing, leaving the state roughly two months late without any explanation from those responsible for the delay.
Governor Kate Brown announced that Oregon would test Exposure Notifications Express technology last fall, and state officials are planning a wider rollout in January. The program allows users to opt-in to receiving a notification if they have spent time near someone who subsequently tests positive, such as dining in a restaurant or spending time at a college party. .
California launched its notification system on December 10, and “millions” are now using it. Washington started even earlier, on November 30, and more than 1.8 million people have joined.
Oregon officials have made only vague statements and shifting deadlines. In December, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority said the agency “is currently working on a January 2021 launch.” In early January, officials said they were “evaluating the results” of a pilot project at Oregon State University and likely would have an update by mid-month.
This week, the health authority said those results were still under review – and neither the agency nor Oregon State University responded to requests for public documents regarding the results or the recommendations.
“The OHA is still evaluating the results of an Oregon State University application pilot, which is now complete, to determine a deployment date, but as previously mentioned, we are considering the spring commissioning. Tim Heider, spokesperson for the health authority, said in an email.
The notification system is a complementary tool to traditional contact tracing, in which public health officials interview an infected person, collect the names of people who have been in close contact with that person, and then contact those people to talk to them. of the exhibition. .
The smartphone system allows people who choose to use their cell phone to anonymously ping nearby cell phones, keeping the data confidential. If a person later tests positive, they are given a code from local health officials that they can enter into their phone. This triggers a process of sending notifications to people who were in close contact with the infected person – without disclosing anyone’s personal information.
While officials in many states have praised the potential of the technology to help slow the spread of the coronavirus,
it is not known to what extent these programs have been successful.
Washington officials say they believe the exposure app is a useful tool, although it’s hard to know for sure. “The way WA Notify works is that no news is good news,” Teresa McCallion, a public health spokesperson, said in an email.
State officials said they were unable to provide detailed information on how many of their 1.8 million users have received a notification, saying there are more than one way to be notified. . The main source is from contact tracers, which ask residents if they are using the app.
The University of Washington is studying the fledgling state program and plans to release a report this month.
“We add about 3,000 new users every week,” McCallion said. “This kind of response exceeds our wildest expectations.”
King County, home to Seattle, estimated that about 20% of those surveyed in the contact tracing area said they had WA Notify on their phone, local officials said.
Since December, the system has sent codes to 2140 app users with infections so that they can choose to trigger notifications for people with whom they have come in close contact.
“The effect of WA Notify on reducing transmission is under review at the state level,” a county spokesperson said.
A UK study published last month determined that more than 1.7 million smartphone users in England and Wales were asked to self-isolate through an exposure notification app within a matter of months . The study estimates that more than 600,000 cases of COVID-19 have been prevented since the app launched in September.
“Isolating and knowing when you are at risk of catching coronavirus is essential in stopping the spread of this virus, and the app is the fastest way to alert you if you are at risk,” Matt Hancock, secretary at Health and Social Affairs said in a statement last month.
Oregon’s lack of information persists as cases this month plunged statewide to levels below last summer’s peak. But the technology could seemingly come in handy, as the governor has allowed indoor dining in 31 of 36 counties, including the entire metropolitan area, and has pledged to keep it at least until March 26.
According to state figures, only 50% of this week’s cases have been traced to a known source. Multnomah County is well below that mark, with just 41% of the county’s rapidly declining cases tracing to a specific source, well below the state’s stated target of 70%.
Contact tracers in the tri-county area have been overwhelmed this winter amid rising cases and it’s unclear what role, if any, their challenges have played in the delay. In December, state health officials said they were coordinating with county health units on rolling out the app, but gave no details.
At the end of November, health officials in all three counties were so overwhelmed that they urged COVID-positive residents to call their close contacts and their employer and not wait for a contact tracer to reach them – suggesting that new ones tasks related to a notification system were not feasible.
Beyond Washington and California, Hawaii, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada have activated statewide notification systems. Arizona has launched notification systems on some college campuses, and New Mexico has a small-scale option in Santa Fe.
Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana do not have notification systems enabled.
Colorado said it now has around 1.8 million users, with the technology so widely adopted because it’s free, anonymous, and easy to use on Android and Apple devices. It is also available in several languages.
A state spokesperson said the notification system “has been a useful tool in helping to slow the transmission of the disease.”
– Andrew Theen; [email protected]; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen
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