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COVID-19: Can mass testing and contact tracing prevent a second wave?
Jun 2, 2020
Track-and-trace programmes are being used or planned by number of governments who have ramped up testing. United Kingdom is the latest nation to roll out tracing scheme. However, while track and trace can be a useful tool to help restart economic life, some countries have seen a rise in infections. There are also concerns about data privacy.
"In this war on the virus, ultimately we are all on the same side and we've all got a part that we can play." So said the UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, as he launched the country’s new ‘track and trace’ system.
Having raised its test-processing capacity to 200,000 per day , the UK has become the latest country to alert people who may have been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) says tracking and tracing can play a key role in getting people back to work . And from Austria to South Korea, there are now several ways of doing this – from app-based schemes to “manual” detective work.
However, spikes in cases have been seen in some of the first countries to use track and trace. There are also concerns about the data collected by governments and about the effectiveness of having so many – very different – schemes.
Have you read? Explainer: What is contact tracing and how can it help fight the new coronavirus? Apple and Google are working together on technology for coronavirus contact tracing Why ‘shoe-leather’ contact tracing can’t be ignored: WHO COVID-19 briefing
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