Viet Nam had counted over 20 million downloads of  Bluezone, a locally-developed app that helps determine if a person has come in contact with a COVID-19 patient, as of 20 August, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).

Viet Nam counts over 20 million downloads of Bluezone (Photo: VNA)

To further promote the number of downloads and users of the app, the MIC, in collaboration with the Health Ministry, has launched a communication drive to raise public awareness of the significance of installing Bluezone.

Da Nang takes the lead nationwide in the rate of smartphone users downloading the app, with 40.4 percent. It is followed by the capital city of Hanoi, the northern province of Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City and the northern province of Hai Duong.

Developed by tech firm Bkav, the app uses Bluetooth Low Energy, a wireless personal area network technology, to link smartphones within a two-meter distance.

It helps health authorities quickly track those who had close contact with virus carriers, and alert them about the risk of infection.

The app is completely confidential, anonymous, and transparent, as it only stores data on the user’s phone and does not transfer a user’s information or locations to the system.

The development of Bluezone was overseen by MIC and the Ministry of Health (MoH). It was launched on 18 April.

Bluezone has so far helped health agencies in tracing and detecting 1,391 suspected cases of having contact with infected or suspected cases of COVID-19.

Viet Nam aims to have 50 million downloads of Bluezone, which is hoped to become an useful tool to help the health sector control the pandemic, and protect smartphone users from the disease.

Source: VNA