On Sunday, Health Minister Jens Spahn said that Germany’s mobile application to trace coronavirus infections is ready for launch this week.
The government claims the software would be a critical resource to help prevent a second wave of infections following failures to ensure that the Bluetooth technology would work at the correct distance.
Spahn told ARD television:
“It’s coming this week,”
The mobile application uses short-range Bluetooth radio to identify and contact persons that have been near an infected individual. The app does not use a centralized database.
Deutsche Telekom and SAP both helped develop the app.
Even with a large number of infections, thanks to extensive testing, a comprehensive health system, and lockdown measures implemented in mid-March, Germany has kept the number of COVID-19 fatalities relatively small compared with other countries.
