COVID Alert has been downloaded 2.94 million times

The Public Health Agency of Canada has downloaded the COVID alert 2.94 million times since July 31.

The agency said CTV News Only 514 users informed the app about their positive test results, all of whom live in Ontario.

As politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, are urging Canadians to download these figures if they are available in their province, we are entering the second wave of the virus.

The federal government launched a COVID alert in Ontario this summer, and has since launched it in Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.

The government of Manitoba is preparing to support the COVID warning this week, and Quebec has revealed that it will use the app even after previously saying it was not due to a lack of support in the province.

COVID Alert uses Apple and Google’s Notification API, which uses Bluetooth technology to share random signals with other nearby smartphones. These codes do not identify users.

Note that COVID Alert is not a contact tracing application. It is an ‘exposure notification’ tool that can notify Canadians if they are exposed to COVID-19.

The COVID alert can be downloaded iOS App Store Yet Google Play Store.

By: CTV News