Islanders have been thanked for the vital role they have played in the development of the NHSX coronavirus app, which has now been abandoned by the Government.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the Government has announced the end of the NHS COVID-19 app trial and the abandonment of their own app, instead going for Google’s and Apple’s own technology.
Speaking during last night’s Downing Street press conference, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the feedback provided by Island residents would play an ‘integral’ part in the next phase of development. He said:
“A huge number of people on the Island have dedicated time to this project and we are hugely grateful.
“Residents on the Isle of Wight have led the way and the feedback from Islanders will remain at the heart of our approach going forward.”
When Mr Hancock called on Islanders to lead the way in the development of the pioneering technology, more than 54,000 responded by downloading the app. It has since played an important role in speeding up the time it takes to trace the contacts of those diagnosed with the virus, allowing them to isolate more quickly before they have the chance to spread it to others.
Isle of Wight Council leader, Cllr Dave Stewart, said he had no doubt that the enthusiasm with which residents had approached the project had played a real part in helping to keep the rate of infection low on the Island. He said:
“I have been overwhelmed — but not surprised — by the Island community’s willingness to lead from the front in the war on coronavirus, playing a vital role in the development of contact-tracing app technology.
Article continues below this advertisement “The valuable insight gained from trialling the app here will go on to inform the design of future developments which, I am sure, will lead to many lives being saved.
“To every Islander who downloaded the app, I would like to extend my own personal thanks and gratitude.
“The app project provided us with an opportunity to take part in something groundbreaking which would help protect the Island and the community — something which, I believe, it has achieved.
“We should also not forget that the app was just a small part of the wider NHS test and trace programme which has now launched nationally and which provides end to end testing and contact tracing.
“As we look to the future and the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, we will continue to identify innovative ways in which to keep our community safe.”
Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has said:
“I am sad at the decision not to proceed with the app, but the important thing is that the Island played its role in testing it. The point of a trial is that we get to see if the app worked or not.
“The Island played its part well and most importantly proved its worth as a partner with central government.
“I want to thank everyone who downloaded the app and who contributed. The Island provided invaluable feedback to the NHS which has informed the future approach and direction of research.
“I will continue to champion the Island as the right place to pilot schemes. I will do so because we need to get the Island at the front of the queue, not the back, where we have been for too long. I am unapologetic about this.
“Once again, thank you to Islanders for their support for the app project.”
Islanders can now uninstall the app.
The valuable insight gained was that the non-sheep did not wish to be part of some covert centralised database and THAT is why it has been scrapped.
And scrapped at God only knows what cost to the taxpayer.
The reason this app has been ditched is because it did not work (too many false positives due to pushing blu-tooth beyond what it was ever designed to do) and many people became aware that there were no specific limits on who could access the data. So it was no good for the stated purpose, but could be misused in any number of ways that trampled all over privacy.
So basically they’re saying “Thank you islanders for showing why ignoring experts and doing it differently to pretty much everyone else was a bad idea.”
um… You’re welcome…?
What really annoys me about the NHS app was that they knew it wouldn’t work before they released it on the Island and then kept quite till leaks forced them to abandon it.
Again and again they sit on information and then ignore it to do it their way.
Can they be trusted anymore?
But then, that’s my opinion,
I dread to think what this app has cost in valuable resources at such a crucial time.
Surely this could have been nipped in the bud, with the early indicators that it wasn’t going to work, mainly due to privacy protocol issues.