REMOTE, (Oct. 29, 2020): More than 587,615 people have activated the CO Exposure Notifications service as of Oct. 28. Apple and Android users make up 81% of Colorado’s population, and 14.9% of those users have activated the service.
CDPHE noted the percentage is a preliminary, minimum estimate and could actually be 1-2% higher as numbers are coming in rapidly.
“We are so proud of Coloradans and their swift adoption of this critical technology. Knowing you’ve been near someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 allows people to make the most informed decision about what to do next and protect themselves and their families. We encourage everyone to visit addyourphone.com and opt in to protect the health of yourself and your loved ones,” said Sarah Tuneberg, Lead of Colorado’s Testing and Containment Team.
CO Exposure Notifications, launched on Oct. 25, 2020 in partnership with Google and Apple, complements existing statewide health safety protocols without compromising the privacy of Coloradans. As adoption increases in Colorado, impact will increase.
When users enable the service, their smartphones share anonymous tokens with other users through the phones’ Bluetooth technology. If another user tests positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period and chooses to upload their results, users at risk of infection will receive an alert of potential exposure. Tokens are not associated with any phone number, name, location or IP address, and they change every 15 minutes to add an extra layer of anonymity. Learn more about CO Exposure Notifications at addyourphone.com.
CO Exposure Notifications also provides individuals who receive an exposure alert with instructions on recommended next steps, including information on quarantine and contacting their local public health agency.
For additional resources on COVID-19, visit covid19.colorado.gov.
View the video and slides from today’s Remote Media Availability on CO Exposure Notifications here.
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