- Over 1.7 million users asked to isolate as a result of a close contact since launch, helping to break chains of transmission
- Approximately 600,000 cases have been prevented by the app since September, according to analysis from The Alan Turing Institute / Oxford University researchers
- The app notifies contacts as quickly as 15 minutes after a user inputs a positive test result
Over 1.7 million app users across England and Wales have been advised to isolate by the NHS COVID-19 app following a close contact with someone who goes on to test positive, new data published today shows, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The NHS COVID-19 app has been breaking chains of transmission to protect users and their communities since its launch in September 2020.
The Alan Turing Institute’s Chris Holmes (Programme Director for Health and Medical Sciences) and Mark Briers (Programme Director for Defence and Security) have been giving independent advice to DHSC to scope the technical development and help to oversee modelling and analytics of the app.
The Turing’s Mark Briers said,
“We have created a world leading app, the first of its kind to be built on the latest GAEN API Mode 2 technology, which works to break chains of transmission and protect users against the spread of the virus while maintaining privacy and anonymity.
“Using the NHS COVID-19 App is the fastest way to know when you have been at risk of catching the virus and our analysis shows when more people download the app they can have a disproportionately positive impact on driving down case numbers in the community.”
See The Turing Blog for more details: Demonstrating the impact of the NHS COVID-19 app
For an overview of the Turing’s role in helping to tackle the spread and effects of coronavirus, visit Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the full DHSC press release: NHS COVID-19 app alerts 1.7 million contacts to stop spread of COVID-19
