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Oregon is at least a month behind Washington, Colorado and Nevada in adopting mobile phone technology that would allow residents across the state to voluntarily choose to receive cell phone notifications if they were exposed to the coronavirus.
In fact, state officials have yet to decide whether they will green light the technology for all Oregonians and instead await the results of a pilot project underway at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
State officials have not taken action to accelerate that timeline, despite a record spate of coronavirus cases this fall. Contact tracers say they are unable to process more than 1,000 cases per day, and some metro area officials have asked infected Oregonians to notify their close contacts of the exposure because public health officials are too overworked.
Cell phone technology could, in theory, help fill some of this void, directly reaching potentially exposed residents and allowing them to isolate themselves or take proactive measures.
“Once the pilot is completed, the test results will be evaluated and a decision will be made,” Delia Hernández, spokesperson for the state health authorities, said in an email. “We are currently working on a launch in January 2021.”
The free smartphone app has been under review since September, when Oregon joined a pact involving Washington, California, Nevada and Colorado to advocate for a tool designed to give people quick access to when they have potentially been exposed to COVID-19. While the companies behind the technology have promised to maintain confidentiality, state officials have been cautious in ensuring consumer privacy is protected and in evaluating the effectiveness of the system.
So-called proximity tracing apps use cellphone Bluetooth technology to determine roughly how far and how long the phones are close to each other, with the federal government considering close contact to be within six feet for a while. at least 15 minutes.
People who opt for the system never see the data. But if someone tests positive for the coronavirus, the person is given a special personal identification number from county health officials. That person could then voluntarily enter the number into their cell phone, ultimately triggering alerts to other participants whose phones were in close contact.
All other Western Compact states have taken more concrete steps to study or adopt the technology. California has a large pilot program at many higher education institutions across the state, while Oregon has only rolled it out at Oregon State University.
A representative from the University of Oregon said the Oregon Health Authority “did not request” to participate in the pilot project. “The OU might have the opportunity to play a role if the pilot program is expanded,” said Kay Jarvis, a spokesperson for the university, “and we hope to learn more from the state’s partners in the weeks to come.
Portland State spokesperson Christina Williams said, “As far as I know, the PSU has not been approached by the OHA on this matter.”
“We are working closely with Multnomah County and to date they have not encouraged the use of any of the contract tracing apps,” Williams said in an email, adding that they would follow up. county councils.
On November 12, Oregon State University began a four- to six-week study where its staff, students, and employees can sign up and be notified through a smartphone app on Apple or Android products if they have had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Monday, the program had 9,000 participants.
Meanwhile, Colorado, Nevada and now Washington have adopted statewide programs.
Washington released its Evergreen statewide WA Notify system on Monday. As of Thursday morning, 950,000 users had signed up, giving the state’s public health officials and contact tracers a direct route to a significant portion of its more than 7 million people.
According to officials from the Washington Department of Health, the state has become the fifth in the country to adopt technology from Apple and Google and the 18th in the country to deploy some kind of exposure notification system.
Amy Reynolds, a Washington state health spokesperson, said the system is still in its infancy, but Washington is encouraged by the number of voluntary registrations.
“It is important to note that this is just one more tool people can use to protect themselves and others,” she said. “They still need to mask themselves, physically distance themselves, stay home when sick, delay gatherings or keep them very small and follow other public health recommendations if they are exposed to COVID-19 or be tested. positive. “
Washington approved its statewide launch four weeks after the Nov. 2 pilot began at the University of Washington. The pilot project has attracted only 3,500 participants, significantly fewer than Oregon State University so far.
Reynolds said the program was working as intended and state leaders were “simultaneously preparing for a statewide deployment” while preparing training materials for local health jurisdictions and marketing materials. .
The Oregon Health Authority has generally been reluctant to discuss the pilot project at Corvallis. Officials last month deferred questions about the program to Oregon State University and this week gave few details.
The agency did not respond when asked if the state was taking action similar to Washington and planning a statewide deployment simultaneously during the pilot, saying other requests from the media had to be handled and the program manager was away from the office.
Hernandez, the spokesperson, confirmed that Oregon is working with local health agencies regarding the smartphone app, but declined to provide details.
The Oregon governor seemed cautiously optimistic about the technology three months ago, when the pilot effort was first announced.
“Knowledge is power when it comes to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Brown said in a statement at the time, “and this pilot will help people make informed decisions. to stay healthy, while protecting individual privacy.
– Andrew Theen; [email protected]; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen
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