Our health service has ramped up testing for Covid-19, in the backdrop of a large number of cases being detected. In fact, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament on Thursday that the Government has spent a staggering Rs.90 billion on the anti-Covid-19 drive, including the testing and treatment of patients.
In addition to the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing, the authorities have introduced Rapid Antigen Testing, which has a faster turnaround, though sometimes with slightly less accuracy. However, the aim of both methods is to find the infected or those who have had the disease, bearing in mind that not all who are infected with the virus show symptoms. Nevertheless, it is vital to identify them as well, as they can pass on the disease to others.
Up to now, the testing process has been entirely reliant on paperwork, leaving a paper trail that is not centralised. This makes it somewhat difficult to keep track of the entire extensive testing process, which has now been extended islandwide. On the other hand, in the face of a crisis of this magnitude, officials should have access to such records in minutes.
This is where modern technology can play a major role. Almost everyone in Sri Lanka has a Smartphone, which can hold a veritable treasure trove of information and can act as a repository of Applications or Apps for various services from newspapers to train timetables. It was therefore only a matter of time before Covid-19 testing and Smartphones converged.
Accordingly, the Health Ministry on Thursday launched the Supariksha (Enhanced Protection) Android App for Covid-19 related information gathering and follow up action. It is likely to be available on the Apple Appstore as well for iPhone/iPad users and also as a PC application.
The Application was launched by Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi. The details of persons undergoing PCR tests will be fed into the App and the test results will be updated by the relevant Laboratory. Any Covid-19 positive cases will be immediately referred to the relevant MOH. The person undergoing the PCR test/Antigen test will also be informed of his or her result by way of a short text message. When vaccination begins for Covid-19, such information can also be entered into this app – for example, when he or she should come back for the second dose. While such individual information cannot be publicly accessed to maintain privacy and confidentiality, the App is likely to provide general Covid-19 related information for everyone.
This is in addition to the earlier ‘Stay Safe’ type of applications which facilitate contact tracing. This enables establishments to verify the movements of people in and out of their buildings, for instance, via QR Codes. Several commercial establishments already use this type of app to facilitate their employees and customers, who can just scan the QR code instead of writing details every time in a log book – an act that can itself spread Covid-19.
Through this app, check-in and check-out times will be compared with the times of others who visited the same location. If a person who tested positive for the virus was at the same location at the given time, institution owners and visitors will be notified by health authorities. Once notified, each individual must then take preventative measures including self-quarantine to avoid the spread of the virus.
This leads us to the question of ‘testing and immunity passports’, a topic that is increasingly being discussed in the global media. In short, this entails either a physical booklet or a Smartphone application that has our Covid-19 testing and vaccination details without which we will not be able to travel internationally and even domestically in some countries.
Several airlines have already said that they will not allow anyone who is not tested and/or vaccinated to board, so ‘vaccine passports’ could be here to stay. With many countries already demanding proof of a negative Covid-19 test for entry, one can only assume that proof of vaccination will be next.
Two main options for a vaccine passport exist so far, with one already in operation in the United States, and the other in its final phase of development this month. CommonPass, a health pass created by the nonprofit Commons Project, has been in trial use internationally since October on United and Cathay Pacific flights between New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong. It functions as a scannable QR code that holds a passenger’s test data or vaccine documentation as well as travel plans. Three airline alliances — Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance — have endorsed the app and highlighted the need for a global system of testing and vaccine verification.
Another app in development by the International Air Transport Association, the IATA Travel Pass is expected to launch in early 2021. The mobile pass will be available for Apple users to start with and will be rolled out to Android users slightly later. In addition to holding a passenger’s testing, vaccine and health-waiver documentation, the IATA app will provide travellers with health requirements and testing/vaccination centres in each country. However, a ‘Vaccine Passport’ is still not a free pass, as it is still unclear how long immunity lasts after receiving a vaccine, and it is also unclear if recipients of vaccines can spread the virus without experiencing symptoms themselves.
One thing, though, is clear as we head into 2021. Our Smartphones will become the key to accessing the world in the age of Covid-19 and we might have to trade off some aspects of privacy for the greater good of all.