There has been a development of the story reported last week, in which Isle of Wight council leader told OnTheWight of his ambitions for the Isle of Wight to become the first area in the country to test the whole community for Coronavirus (Covid-19) – and using a mobile App to show C19 status.
Last night The Telegraph reported that documents they’ve seen, specifically state the Island has now been chosen for a Test-and-Trace App pilot scheme because of the low number of lab-confirmed cases (104 at time of publishing), that it was a “geographically-defined area”, and under one health Trust – making the roll-out easier.
They added that Matt Hancock MP (the Health Secretary) said he hoped the App – written by health service’s digital arm, NHSX – would be launched to the public by “mid May”.
Over half of Islanders needed to use the App
NHSX say that for the App to be effective, half of the Island will need to download and voluntarily use it.
The Telegraph say the document they’ve seen states,
“The more people that use the app, the more effective it will be. We are confident that British people will want to use the app to protect the NHS and their loved ones.”
Successfully trialled in Yorkshire
The App, which has already been trialled successfully on an RAF base in Yorkshire, in ‘closed tests’ with workers, is part of a “large scale, integrated contact-tracing and testing programme”.
The document also said,
“This is not about a trial: we are phasing in things that will be launched across the UK following launch on the Isle of Wight.”
Local opposition
Following OnTheWight’s interview with council leader Dave Stewart last week, local politicians came out to strongly oppose the idea, with the Labour chairman saying, “Islanders are not guinea pigs”.
An online petition has also been launched, attracting over 2,000 signatures.
Seely: “No question of ‘just’ lifting the lockdown”
Commenting on Telegraph, Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, said,
“I welcome the proposal, although clearly we are waiting for full details and confirmation of go-ahead.
“In conversations with Matt Hancock and Health Ministers recently and over the past few years, I have made the case for the Island piloting schemes, especially in ideas around telemedicine and the use of drones – to drive improvements in patient care.
“There is no question of ‘just’ lifting the lockdown. However, the elements for planning lockdown easing – as well as long-term Covid-19 suppression – can be put together on the Island prior to rolling out nationally.
“The lockdown is not a trade-off between lives v. the economy; it is between saving life now versus saving life later. We need to save life now, and this pilot scheme will make Islanders safer – but we also need to preserve life in future. The reality is that cancers are at risk of going undetected and heart conditions untreated. Failed business and bankruptcies will lead to stress and possibly a rise in suicides. Young people are being denied education and life chances are being undermined.
“We need to find a way out of the current situation. We need to start planning. The Government is doing the right thing and I believe that this pilot will help make the Island as well as the UK safer.”
Details of how the App will work can be found on this explainer article, NHSX Coronavirus Contact Tracing App: What is it and how it would work on the Isle of Wight
Article edit
8.20am 29 Apr 2020 – Further details about the document added
10.10am 29 Apr 2020 – Link to explainer article added
Source: The Telegraph
Image: Brian McGowan under CC BY 2.0
