HARRISBURG – The state Department of Health on Wednesday announced it will be conducting a pilot program for a COVID-19 exposure notification mobile app, which will be available to smartphone users in early September.
The app, COVID Alert PA, is designed to help bolster the state’s contact-tracing efforts, not replace them, the state said in a news release.
The Department of Health is partnering with Delaware, along with NearForm, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and Internet Privacy Research Institute (PRI) to build the mobile app.
The state said the free app will be available for download in the Google Play store or Apple App store.
During a COVID-19 case investigation interview, public health staff will ask an individual if they have the app available and then provide a six-digit validation code that the app user can upload and confirm their COVID-19 diagnosis, the release said.
After validation is completed, the app will use a push notification and send an exposure alert to individuals who came in close contact with someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19, the release said.
The app, the state said, does not enable any location services and is designed to be completely anonymous.
