The launch of Ireland's new COVID-19 Tracker App has been deemed a success by the Department of Health and the HSE.

More than 850,000 people downloaded the app within the first day of its launch, showing Ireland's uptake as the highest so far in the world for COVID-19 tracker apps.

In Tuesday's press briefing, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that downloading the app is now one of the most important things we can do to maintain the suppression of the virus.

"Today, we have one very simple and very important message: please download this app," he said. "If you do, you are protecting your family, you are protecting your friends and you are protecting many people you do not know."

The app is free to download from Google Play or Apple App Store. It enables users to record symptoms and provides daily updates on Ireland's COVID-19 situation.

If you test positive for the virus, the app enables you to anonymously alert those you have been in contact with. By allowing your information to be shared (in the event that you test positive for COVID-19), other individuals can be notified if they came in contact with you.

Screenshot of the COVID-19 Tracker App

During the same press conference, HSE chief executive Paul Reid said that the ability to contact trace is critical as we take steps to reopen the country.

Originally, it was stated that there would need to be around a 60% uptake of the app for it to work as planned.

In correspondence with Irish Country Living, a HSE representative said that the app will enhance the existing testing and tracing measures in place, along with other steps that have been adopted over the past few months (hand washing, face coverings and social distancing).

"In Ireland, 84% of the population aged 16+ own a smartphone and research from Science Foundation Ireland shows that 86% of Irish adults are willing to ‘download a contact tracing app to their smartphone to curb the COVID-19 pandemic’," the representative wrote.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and HSE Director General Paul Reid are pictured at the launch of Ireland's new COVID-19 tracker app (7 July, 2020)

"[In the first day of the] launch, it has been downloaded over 500,000 times. In developing the app, we were aware that there will be people who cannot or will choose not to download the app, but every additional person will increase the opportunity to track close contacts of a confirmed case, including people unknown to the confirmed case."

Data privacy

Currently, most smartphone users are able to download and use the app without issue. However, the smartphones must be an iPhone 6 or Android 7 model or more recent for the app to work properly.

Previous research showed that the majority of the Irish population would be willing to download the app, but many others were (and continue to be) concerned about possible data privacy breaches.

"The app protects your privacy, it does not track your location or your movements," the HSE representative wrote.

"People that don’t want to or can’t download the app will still be contacted by the HSE contact tracing team if someone who tests positive for COVID-19 identifies you as a close contact."

According to the COVID tracker website, the app can only access information from your phone that you choose to share, including your phone number and other personal details. Any data information shared through the use of the app is done only with the individual's permission.

The only data that is automatically collected by the app (ie: without your permission) is your IP address, but this data is not actually used and is deleted as soon as it is recieved.

"The app is particularly useful in places where lots of people who may not know each other gather together," the representative continues.

"It means that if someone who is using the app tests positive for COVID-19, other app users that have been in close contact with them can receive a notification. If you choose to share your phone number through the app, our contact tracing team will call you to organise a test."

The Department of Health and the HSE are also encouraging people to help those who may have smartphones, but do not regularly use apps to offer guidance in helping them download and use the app as needed.

It's important to check in with older relatives and neighbours to ask if they could use some assistance. Learn more about the app by visiting https://covidtracker.gov.ie/.