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Contact-tracing apps help reduce COVID infections, data suggest

Evaluations find apps are useful, but would benefit from better integration into health-care systems.
  1. Dyani Lewis
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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens of countries have deployed digital apps that attempt to identify people exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and stop onward transmission. But evidence that these ‘contact-tracing’ apps work has been hard to come by, because most collect limited data to protect users’ privacy. Now, studies from a handful of nations show mounting evidence that apps can help prevent infections and are a valuable public-health tool.

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Nature 591, 18-19 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00451-y

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 26 February 2021: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that WeHealth was a non-profit company.

References

  1. Wymant, C. et al. Preprint at go.nature.com/2m4scfk (2021).

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