Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Dave Stewart, and the Isle of Wight’s MP, Bob Seely, have informed Health Ministers they are happy to share their experiences about the app and wider test and trace programme to inform the national roll out of the app.
In a joint letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Health Minister Nadine Dorries, Bob and Dave said they were compiling, with local partners, a detailed portfolio of learning from their experience of engaging the local community in using the app as well as the wider test and trace programme to inform the forthcoming national rollout of the app. This is with the supportive Central Government.
The letter – written a week after the app was rolled out on the Island – said uptake had been strong on the Island with the overwhelming majority of downloads from the Island.
An average of 25 people per day are being tested for coronavirus after reporting it through the app.
The Isle of Wight representatives have said in the letter that they were ready and able to engage with colleagues in parliament, local government, NHS and public health when needed and encourage them to play their part.
Islanders have been providing feedback to the NHSX team to help them shape the app before it is rolled out to the rest of the country.
The Island’s MP and IW Council Leader said they were pleased the Island community could do its bit to help the rest of the country, whilst also making Islanders safer. They said that being at least a fortnight ahead of the rest of country in terms of the trace and testing programme, they were well placed to continue supporting initial phases ahead of national rollouts, and in doing so not just make the Isle of Wight community even safer but also continue to help the rest of the country.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
how many of the smartphones are on the island
I received the Questionaire Survey letter yesterday went on the web site , NOTHING, rang the free phone number and the operator did not know anything about the survey I was told to try next week if I was still interested in the Survey . , Another Stewart and Seely well thought out Plan .
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick revealed the app – being piloted on the Isle of Wight – may need to ‘adapt’ or ‘move to a different model’.
Fewer than 50,000 people living on the island, or 35 per cent of its population, have downloaded the app since the trial began last week.
according to our bob Friday morning 73thousand access the apps on the island
This is rapidly becoming farcical. They claim an estimated 80-90,000 compatible smartphones but how many are used by under 16 year olds who aren’t included in the figures. How many estimated incompatible smartphones are there on the Island and what can ‘Dave and Bob’ tell the government that they won’t get in more detail from the invitation to an on-line survey currently being sent out to every Island home?
I managed to get the app to work after 4 downloads, my partners phone has no blue tooth, my friends phone the software is too old. Even my bosses phone the software is too old.
I know more people that the app won’t work on their phones than phones that can work the app! ! !
What survey???
The app might help to identify people that might have the virus, but without testing everyone, how many people have it without showing bad symptoms that do not have the app and not reporting. All this time, they are passing it on.
Is everyone going to be forced to wear a badge saying “I have the app” or “I do not have the app”??
My wife is one of the ones who tried to download it on the first day and are still waiting for an updated version that will work with her smartphone. (even though it’s a relatively recent model from a big name manufacturer)
I don’t know where they get this figure of 80-90000 “compatible” smartphones from – with only about 65% of smartphones actually being compatible with the app it would make a total of 137000 smartphones on the island – That’s about one each for every man, woman, child and baby.
As for the survey, you’re not missing much – the majority of the questions were collecting demographic and health information with a couple of questions about how easy the app is to use stuck in the middle almost as an afterthought.
Using a phone at the wheel, not the best photo to use