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Corona warning app: Warnings about infected people cause confusion

2020-10-17T19:42:49.349Z


The corona warning app is intended to help in the fight against the pandemic. But the warnings are not always clear. We'll clarify what's behind it.


The corona warning app is intended to help in the fight against the pandemic.

But the warnings are not always clear.

We'll clarify what's behind it.

Dortmund -

Autumn

is here and we are now right in the middle of it: in the second

wave of coronavirus

.

It was long prophesied by experts and politicians, now it is there, as reported by RUHR24.de *.

Many people could also notice this when their

Corona warning app

suddenly - after being silent for months -

sounding an alarm

.

But many users do not know exactly what that means.

App:

Corona warning app

License:

Apache license

Developed by:

SAP, Deutsche Telekom

Corona warning app: contact with an infected person and still green

Because the

Corona warning app

spits out more than just

green

or

red

,

low

or high risk

.

So what does it mean if the

app

shines in a calming green, but contact with a

person

infected

with the coronavirus *

is displayed?

Seeing the

color

green

in the

Corona warning app

is definitely a good sign.

Even if it is indicated at the same time that you have had contact with an

infected

person.

Because the

risk of infection

remains low if the

distance

to the person was large enough and the time of contact was short enough.

Corona warning app remembers the intensity of corona contact

Smartphones

on which the Corona warning app * is installed scan their surroundings every five minutes and search for other

smartphones

that

have installed

the

app

.

If two devices find each other via

Bluetooth

, they exchange an individual key.

If a person

claims to be infected

with the

coronavirus

, all

smartphones

that have exchanged the key in the past 14 days will receive a notification.

This not only shows that there was contact with an

infected

person, but also the intensity of this contact (all information on the coronavirus in NRW at RUHR24.de *).

Corona warning app: A risk encounter becomes an encounter with low risk

If the encounter lasted less than ten minutes and the

smartphones of

the people were more than eight meters apart, the

risk is

assessed as harmless

according to

Zeit

.

Nevertheless, these encounters appear in the

Corona warning app

, but are

outlined in green

.

In addition, they are no longer called "

high-risk encounters

", but rather "

low-risk encounters

".

In

this case

, the

app

also displays the

following notice: “There

is a particularly

low

risk

if your encounter was limited to a short period of time or a longer distance.

You don't have to worry and there is no special need for action. ”This means that if a person stands behind an

infected

person at the supermarket checkout for

a short time

, the

app

does not sound an alarm, unless the contact has been longer than 10 minutes or the people were closer than 8 meters.

Risk encounters in the Corona warning app are becoming fewer

At times it happens that the Corona warning app shows three

contacts

on one day and only two on the next day

.

This is not a

bug in

the

app

, it is by design.

Because the

risk

encounters are deleted from the status display if the encounter was more than 14 days ago, reports the

time

with reference to the

Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

.

Positive interim conclusion of the #RKI on the #CoronaWarnApp: "The app works: More than 500 people who have proven positive for SARS-CoV-2 have so far had the opportunity to warn others," said Prof. Wieler, President of the RKI.

More on this: https://t.co/9FPxzLz1zw pic.twitter.com/fVe892rBwW

- Robert Koch Institute (@rki_de) July 16, 2020

Corona warning app gives an alarm and turns red: that must be done

The number of cases is currently increasing and more and more cities in the Ruhr area are being declared so-called risk areas and new corona rules * are being issued.

So it will probably happen more often in the next few days that users of the

Corona warning app will

receive a message that they have had contact with an

infected

person and that there is therefore an increased

risk

.

It turns over and

blushes

.

The

red warning

is displayed until day 15 has passed after the last

risk

encounter.

In this case, users are advised to go home, if possible, to reduce encounters and

to coordinate

the next steps with their

family doctor

, the

medical

on-call

service

at 116117 or the

health department

.

+

If the Corona warning app turns over and indicates an increased risk, action is required.

© Christoph Dernbach / dpa

Corona warning app works even if not everyone has it installed

According to the

RKI

, the

Corona warning app has

been downloaded around 18.4 million times so

far

(as of September 22).

That is still a long way from the general population of Germany, and voices are repeatedly voiced claiming that the

app

only makes sense if at least 60 percent of the population has installed and used it - 18 million users are also far away from that.

This claim comes from a

study

, but as the

time

reports, the researchers and authors see this as a misinterpretation of their

study

.

Of course, the

app works

more reliably if more people download it and also indicate if they

have been infected

with the

coronavirus

.

Video: Angela Merkel urges you to be mindful

In spite of the Corona warning app, do not be lulled into false security

But the

corona warning app

can already

interrupt chains of

infection

.

It can reveal encounters that would otherwise have remained hidden.

Together with other measures such as the

mask requirement

, the

corona warning app

can help

curb

the

infection rate

in Germany.

However, users should by no means feel safe if their

app

remains

permanently

green

and does not make any sound.

Because there are a large number of citizens who

have not installed

the

warning app

.

If you meet them, then no

app

will help

.

* RUHR24.de is part of the Ippen digital network.

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2020-10-17

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