Vietnam counts over 20 million downloads of Bluezone (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam had counted over 20 million downloads of Bluezone, a locally-developed
app that helps determine if a person has come in contact with a COVID-19
patient, as of August 20, according to the
Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).
To further promote the number of downloads and users of the app, the MIC, in collaboration
with the Health Ministry, has launched a communication drive to raise
of the significance of installing Bluezone.
Da Nang takes the lead nationwide in the rate
of smartphone users downloading the app, with 40.4 percent. It is
followed by the capital city of Hanoi, the northern province of Quang Ninh, Ho
Chi Minh City and the northern province of Hai Duong.
Developed by tech firm Bkav, the app uses
Bluetooth Low Energy, a wireless personal area network technology, to link
smartphones within a two-meter distance.
It helps health authorities quickly track those who had close contact with virus
carriers, 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 not
transfer 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.
has so far helped health agencies in tracing and detecting
1,391 suspected cases of having contact with infected or suspected cases of
.
Vietnam aims to have 50 million downloads of Bluezone, which is hoped to
become an useful tool to help the health sector control the pandemic, and
protect smartphone users from the disease./.
Source: VietnamPlus
