Virginia’s official app to slow the spread of COVID-19 has reached an important milestone.
More than 1 million people have downloaded the Virginia Department of Health’s COVIDWISE app since it launched in August. Additionally, about a million more people have downloaded Apple’s app for COVID-19 contact tracing.
VDH’s app offers statistics about the spread of COVID-19, as well as a link to pre-register for a vaccine; however, its most important function is notifying people if they may have come into contact with a COVID-positive person.
Jeff Stover with the Virginia Department of Health reports that more than 25,000 Virginians were notified they were at risk of testing positive for COVID-19.
“It will run through an algorithm to determine if the risk criteria meets certain parameters,” Stover said. If they do, you get a notification saying, ‘Hey, you may have been exposed.’ There’s no name and no location so you wouldn’t know who, but at least you have an idea that this occurred.”