We’re very excited to announce that Minnesota has launched their COVIDaware MN exposure notification app on iOs and Android. The app was built by the PathCheck team working with Minnesota using our open source software.
The COVIDaware MN project is an incredible collaboration between PathCheck and a multifunctional team from Minnesota. The teams worked hand-in-hand to design, test, and deploy the application. The effort drove important advances in the PathCheck GAEN Mobile open source code base, the core Google Apple framework, and the APHL exposure notification server used by U.S. states.
This launch is a major milestone in the fight against Covid-19 using exposure notifications — Minnesota joins states and countries around the world deploying exposure notification apps. This approach is rapidly emerging as a key strategy to containing the pandemic alongside mask wearing, hand hygiene, testing, and contact tracing.
Exposure notification is uniquely able to scale the process of identifying people who have been exposed and encouraging them to self-quarantine, stopping the spread. With most manual contact tracing teams overwhelmed by the rapid, airborne spread of Covid-19, exposure notification is the best hope for getting ahead of the speed and scale of infection.
Minnesota, Hawaii, and Guam have all launched exposure notification solutions with PathCheck open source software. There are many more implementations underway worldwide, and the software is now the most active open source exposure notification project in the world. The success of this software is a testament to the tireless work of hundreds of volunteers in the PathCheck community and the critical support of financial donors.
We expect that adoption of exposure notification will accelerate in the next few months as this public health strategy moves into the mainstream. We’re ready to help governments around the world get their apps launched as fast as possible. Please contact us if you’re interested in learning more about how to launch an exposure notification app in your state or country.