The NHS Covid-19 Contact Tracing App, which was famously trialed on the Isle of Wight in May 2020 has been closed down.
The Isle of Wight being chosen as the test ground for the App during the Covid Pandemic led to much news coverage of the Island, as residents were asked to take part in the pilot.
A month later the Government announced they were scrapping that version of the App and trialed a new one in September 2020 – again on the Island – which was then rolled out across the UK.
The NHS COVID-19 app has closed down
Users of the App have been alerted to its closure with the message:
“The NHS COVID-19 app has closed down.
“Please continue to follow the latest guidance to protect yourself and others. This includes reporting NHS lateral flow test results on GOV.UK.
“If you’re eligible for COVID-19 treatment you must report your result so the NHS can contact you about treatment.
“Thank you for using the app – you’ve helped to keep your community healthy and save lives.”
“Where the Isle of Wight leads, Britain follows
The launch of the initial pilot led to then-Health Minister, Matt Hancock, coming out with the phrase “Where the Isle of Wight leads, Britain follows”.
Isle of Wight T-Shirt brand, Dead Natives, teamed up with the Ventnor Exchange team to give Islanders the chance to wear the slogan on their chests.
Our friends over at Wight Trash also grabbed the opportunity to make up for massive loss of business due to Covid, by creating their version of the slogan, Where The Isle of Wight Rolls, Britain Follows, on T-shirts.
Some stats
The App cost the Government £76m in its first year. Whereas the total budget for NHS Test and Trace was £37 billion is in its first two years.
There have been 224,448 deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate up to the week ending Friday, 31st March 2023.
