So much for Bluetooth contact tracing efforts

Dr Ashley Bloomfield promised to “give contract tracers a nudge” about considering using Bluetooth. (Image: Getty)

Thu, 02 Sep 2021

Nearly 2 million of us have enabled Bluetooth tracing in the Covid Tracer app, in theory allowing the system to play a role in automatically identifying people who have come into contact with those infected with covid-19. In practice, it’s a different story. The Ministry of Health didn’t employ Bluetooth contract tracing in the latest delta outbreak. As University of Auckland researcher Dr Andrew Chen pointed out this week, it appears “contact tracers are simply prioritising other tools ahead of Bluetooth tracing”.&...

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