Vietnam counts over 20 million downloads of Bluezone (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam had counted over 20 million downloads of Bluezone, a locally-developedapp that helps determine if a person has come in contact with a COVID-19patient, as of August 20, according to theMinistry of Information and Communications (MIC).
To further promote the number of downloads and users of the app, the MIC, in collaborationwith the Health Ministry, has launched a communication drive to raise public awarenessof the significance of installing Bluezone.
Da Nang takes the lead nationwide in the rateof smartphone users downloading the app, with 40.4 percent. It isfollowed by the capital city of Hanoi, the northern province of Quang Ninh, HoChi Minh City and the northern province of Hai Duong.
Developed by tech firm Bkav, the app usesBluetooth Low Energy, a wireless personal area network technology, to linksmartphones within a two-meter distance.
It helps health authorities quickly track those who had close contact with viruscarriers, and alert them about the risk of infection.
The app is completely confidential, anonymous,and transparent, as it only stores data on the user’s phone and does nottransfer a user’s information or locations to the system.
The development of Bluezone was overseen by MIC and the Ministry of Health(MoH). It was launched on April 18.
Bluezone has so far helped health agencies in tracing and detecting1,391 suspected cases of having contact with infected or suspected cases ofCOVID-19.
Vietnam aims to have 50 million downloads of Bluezone, which is hoped tobecome an useful tool to help the health sector control the pandemic, andprotect smartphone users from the disease./.
VNA
