Over 10 million people have downloaded the new NHS test and trace App since it was officially launched on Thursday 24th September. Launched in nine different regional languages including Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali this App has been criticised for problems including conflicting QR codes and distrust among migrants over data protection rights.
But the App has also demonstrated how young South Asian children living with their grandparents in multi-generational families can help bring about “behavioural changes” among the elderly who struggle with technological and linguistic barriers.
Responding to Asian Voice’s question about how the App can be useful for the elderly to better shield, Dido Harding, Executive Chair of the NHS Test and Trace Programme said, “We spent a huge amount of time testing this App with different cohorts in society and designed it in a manner that it is user-friendly for all regardless of their age groups.
“It was piloted in Newham which happens to have an excellent community network of Covid-19 champions. These volunteers in their local communities are reaching out and teaching elderly how to use the App. It is also one of the ways how younger people are now helping their parents and grandparents in keeping safe. But the App must not be mistaken as a substitute for other ways of fighting Covid-19. Technology does not help solve coronavirus but brings about a behaviour change which is key to combatting this disease. We believe that this App will nudge for a behaviour change.”
The App uses technology developed by Apple and Google called ‘exposure notification’ and ‘exposure logging’ to do this while offering privacy and data protection rights because it only tracks the spread of the virus as opposed to the carrier. This helps people know the current risks in their local area, maintain a personal record of venues visited where they ‘check-in’ using the official NHS QR code poster and check whether any symptoms are related to Covid-19. It is particularly beneficial to those elderly who are supposed to be shielding at home and cannot visit their nearby testing centres. The App now helps them order a test, via a link to the NHS Test and Trace website to book a test. The NHS Test and Trace website will open in a new window. This website will collect their contact details (in order to be able to provide the test) but this information will not be shared with the App, something that worried a significant proportion of migrants. Booking a test via the app will generate a test code that will allow one to link their test result to the app automatically. If they test positive the app will ask them to share their anonymous contact tracing codes with other app users.
The intricacies of the App and its usage maybe a challenge for the elderly but once downloaded, it can help in early detection and guide other family members in taking precautions around self-isolation especially during the winter months when Covid-19 and flu have similar symptoms.
