Alberta and British Columbia, the only two provinces that have not activated Canada’s COVID-19 exposure notification app, say they won’t adopt the federal system until they are satisfied that it will help, not hinder, their contact-tracing efforts.
As case counts rise across the country and contact-tracing teams struggle to keep up, B.C. and Alberta are under pressure to join the national system. But some experts say the provinces' concerns have merit, such as questioning whether the information the app provides is so vague that it risks bogging down contact tracing rather than complementing it.
Alberta and B.C. have said COVID Alert issues notifications too indiscriminately by reaching back 14 days, as someone with the virus would not be infectious that whole time. Ottawa refined the app last week so infected people can disclose when their symptoms started or the date of their COVID-19 test.Réka Gustafson, B.C.'s deputy provincial health officer, said that, based on COVID Alert’s current features, it would not add value to the province’s contact-tracing system.
Richard Lester, an associate professor in global health in the division of infectious diseases at the University of British Columbia, said the federal app has some innovative merit but believes it should not be relied upon as a key strategy to control the pandemic.
WHY, BECAUSE ALL THE PEOPLE IN BC ARE ON ON THEIR SOFAS DRINKING MOLSON 24, SMOKING WEED AND LISTENING TO THE HIP, THE PEOPLE IN ALBERTA ARE OUT AT WORK, THAT'S WHY