The federal government has revealed that COVID Alert has been downloaded more than 3.3 million times since July 31st.
The government also notes that 800 people have voluntarily input their one-time key to notify others around them after testing positive for COVID-19.
These statistics come as politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Ford, are urging Canadians to download the app if it’s available in their province, as we enter the second wave of the virus.
COVID Alert recently became available in Quebec, after the province scrapped plans to create its own app due to an increasing number of cases.
The federal government launched COVID Alert in Ontario over the summer, and it has since rolled out in Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
The provincial governments of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have announced plans to join the app in the coming days. However, British Columbia and Alberta have not revealed any immediate plans to activate the tool.
COVID Alert uses Apple and Google’s notification API, which uses Bluetooth technology to share randomized codes with other nearby smartphones. These codes can’t identify users.
COVID Alert can be downloaded from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office
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