SA Health pings hope on app to track down Covid outbreaks, Covid jabs return on KI

SA Health wants to trace new virus outbreaks on a new app its experts are currently trialling.

Pioneering technology to identify infectious Covid-19 patients and exposure sites is under trial in South Australia in the hope of combating new outbreaks.

SA Health says a person ill with coronavirus would be instantly “pinged” of positive results by text message.

Meanwhile, after several weeks of Kangaroo Islanders having no access to Covid-19 vaccinations, jabs will be accessible again from next week.

SA Health’s new app plans to dramatically reduce contact tracing times and identify exposure sites, authorities are also exploring synching case results with QR codes.

Last week’s road map out of restrictions set the border reopening for November 23.

SA Health’s Communicable Disease Control Branch has launched a three-week trial of an automatic case notification process, during which a person gets a SMS message notifying them of a positive virus result.

A separate text will send a survey link to assess risk and priority levels for an interview and contact tracking.

“The trial intends to test the capability and user experience prior to receiving high levels of community transmission with the state,” an SA Health spokeswoman said. Contact tracers will still call patients.

16 x 9 poll graphic for web

Similar technology has sparked controversy in the UK where contacts were “pinged” after visiting exposure sites.

The transition committee has heard how SA Health is also investigating allowing SA Pathology results in the official Covid-safe check system via the my.sa.gov application.

Transition committee minutes, dated September 14, show chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier explaining how it will help fast-track test, trace, isolate and quarantine systems.

“(It would) provide automatic text alerts to exposed people, which will become necessary to facilitate optimal TTIQ in high vaccination scenarios,” the minutes state.

The details came as Premier Steven Marshall asked Sunday Mail readers to help decide the vaccine passport design.

Mr Marshall said the VaxCheck vaccine passport had two designs – one with a coloured background and the other white. He said the trial was “going full-speed ahead”.

“Before it goes live, we wanted to give South Australians the chance to vote on what they want VaxCheck to look like,” he said.