Madam Chair, the COVID Alert app is a useful tool. It is designed to complement manual contact tracing by identifying close contacts not necessarily found through standard contact-tracing methods. It is also a way to protect the anonymity of people who want to let close contacts know they may be diagnosed with COVID-19.
The app alerts people who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. It tells them to reach out to public health to get advice about testing or isolation. It also helps alleviate the burden on our hard-working front-line public health workers, who are doing so much contact tracing every single day.
More than 5.4 million Canadians have downloaded the app. More than 5,800 users who have tested positive have notified others of their possible exposure.
We are continuing to work with the provinces and territories to encourage them to implement it in all jurisdictions—