More than 1 million Washington state residents activate COVID-19 notification app

By Andrew Hammond

The News Tribune

Smartphones are coming in clutch, once again.

The device you use to order Christmas presents and watch TV shows can now be notified of possible exposure to COVID-19.

The Washington State Department of Health announced that in just four days, more than 1 million users activated WA Notify, an anonymous exposure notification tool that uses smartphones to help stop the spread of COVID-19. More Washington residents opted in within the first 24 hours than any other state using the technology.

“Opting into exposure notification is something almost every Washington resident with a smartphone can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19, so we are gratified to see so many people adopting it quickly,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman.

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When voluntarily activated, phones with WA Notify use Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes with the phones of other users they are near, all without revealing user information and location.

“If you haven’t activated WA Notify yet, please consider doing so. Studies from Oxford University and Stanford show that the more people who use a tool like WA Notify, the more effectively it will protect our communities,” Weisman went on to say.

If a smartphone user does test positive, they can submit their code and others will be notified if they’ve been in contact with someone who is covid-positive.

For more information, log on to https://doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/WANotify