Coronavirus: Australia launches app to trace patients' contacts

By now, people, by and large, know that coronavirus can spread rapidly and social distancing is a key to contain the virus. Once the virus infects any individual, people who have come in contact with this person remain vulnerable and can lead to mass infections.

And in a bid to stop this chain, Australia has launched a smartphone app to track people who come in contact with the COVID-19 patients on Sunday.

The COVIDSafe app through phone's Bluetooth wireless signal stores information about people's interactions, and can be accessed by health personnel if a person contracts coronavirus.

"What this will do is give a list of the mobile phone numbers of those people who have been in contact within that distance for 15 minutes or more," Australia's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said.

He added that his could lead to contacts traced "a day or two earlier than they otherwise may have been."

Health officials believe that less than half of Australia's population would need to download this app for it to work effectively. They also say that with app's use, strict restrictions on movement and gatherings would be eased.

To assuage privacy concerns, users can register with a fake name, and police cannot use the data to investigate crimes, while all information would be automatically deleted after 21 days.

There were initial suggestions that the app could be made mandatory, but its use is voluntary.

Just over 6,700 coronavirus cases, including 83 deaths were reported in Australia and the rise of infections dropped significantly in recent weeks. A tad over 16 COVID-19 cases were reported on Sunday.