In what has been dubbed by many a ‘pingdemic’ more than 600,000 people using the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales were sent self-isolation alerts in the week between 8 and 15 July.
Data shows 618,903 alerts were sent – a 17% rise from the previous week.
However, some ‘fully-vaccinated key workers’ will be exempt from self-isolating if they are pinged by the app as a close contact of a positive case, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said a “very narrow” list of jobs would be released today.
Self-isolation for all fully-vaccinated people pinged by the app as close contacts is due to be scrapped by 16 August, he added.
The app alert is advisory only and not enforceable by law, unlike a phone call from the Test and Trace team.
Alerts from the NHS Covid-19 app informs users if they have been in close contact with a positive coronavirus case. If an individual is pinged by the app, they are advised to self-isolate for up to 10 days.
In England, 607,486 alerts were sent to users in the period between 8 and 15 July, with a further 11,417 sent in Wales.
The app currently has 26,826,748 downloads accord to official figures, a rise from 26,523,853 the previous week.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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