What is effectiveness of Palm Beach County's new contact tracing app?

Contact 5 investigator Michael Buczyner looks into the effectiveness of Palm Beach County's $775,000 new contact tracing app and whether the price tag is worth the expense.

<<“WE HAVE TO TRY EVERYTHINGTHAT WE CAN TRY” PALM BEACHCOUNTY HAS A NEW TOOL IN ITSARSENAL&“ITCONTACT TRACING” TO BATTLEBACK - AGAINST COVID.“IFTHEREHELP THIS COMMUNITY, WE NEEDTO TRY IT” WITH JUST A QUICKDOWNLOAD&“WEOUR CONSTITUENTS TO OPEN THISAPP UP WHEN THEY GO OUT INTOPUBLIC” PALM BEACH COUNTYMAYOR DAVE KERNERÃIS HOPINGTO STOP THE SPREAD.

:“COVID19 WILL ONLY BE BEAT BY THECOMMUNITY AT LARGE." ITCALLED COMBAT COVIDÃAND THECOUNTY RECENTLY PURCHASED THEAPP FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD - FROMA LOCAL APP DEVELOPER FOR 775-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

THE EXPOSURENOTIFICATION SYSTEM WORKS BYSHARING AN ANONYMOUS KEY VIABLUETOOTH WITH OTHER NEARBYPHONES THAT HAVE THE APP.

TESTPOSITIVE FOR COVIDÃINDICATEIT ON THE APPÃAND ITANONYMOUSLY NOTIFIES OTHERSTHAT YOU CAME IN CONTACT WITHDURING THE PREVIOUS 2-WEEKS.

APROMISING TOOL IN THE FIGHT TOSTOP THE SPREADÃBUT ASCONTACT 5 DISCOVERED - ONLYXXXX PEOPLE HAVE DOWNLOADED IT“HOW DO YOU EXPECT THIS TOWORK WITH WHAT APPEAR TO BE SOFEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY USINGTHIS”“I EXPECT THE COUNTY TOSTART EMBRACING THETECHNOLOGY.

IT'S ONLY BEENAROUND A COUPLE OF WEEKS."MAYOR KERNER TOLD MEMIAMI-DADE COUNTY ALSOPURCHASED THE APP.’WETALKING OVER 60% OF THEPOPULATION WOULD PROBABLY HAVETO TAKE IT UP TO MAKE ITWORTHWHILE” DOCTOR TERRYADIRIMÃA PUBLIC HEALTHEXPERT WHO WORKED AS A SENIORHEALTH OFFICIAL FOR THEFEDERAL GOVERNMENT - TOLDCONTACT 5 - SHE HADNABOUT THE APP UNTIL WE ASKEDHER ABOUT IT - AND ITSEFFECTIVENESS GIVEN THE NUMBEROF DOWNLOADS.“YOU NEED ACRITICAL MASS OF PEOPLE; THEYWOULD NEED OVER A MILLIONPEOPLE TO TAKE THIS APP UPBEFORE IT WOULD EVEN BE USEFULIN THE PALM BEACH COUNTYCOMMUNITY”“OUT OF THE $261-MILLION OF CARES ACT FUNDINGWE RECEIVED, TO INVEST$800,000 OF THAT INTO NEWTECHNOLOGY THAT CAN SAVESLIVESÃIAPOLOGIZE FOR THAT, ITO ASK MY CONSTITUENCY TODOWNLOAD THE APP AND BE APARTNER IN IT” THE APPDEVELOPER DISPUTES THE 60-PERCENT FIGUREÃCITING ASTUDY THAT FOUND EVEN WITH LOWNUMBER OR USERS THERE CAN BE A“REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OFCORONAVIRUS CASES AND DEATH”HE TOLD ME IF“WE CAN SAVE 100PEOPLE OR 500 OR 1000 FROMCATCHING THIS AND POSSIBLYDYING FROM IT, THEN WEA GREAT JOB”“THERE ARECRITICS THAT SAY THE APP ISNOT THE BEST THAT IT CAN BE &MY QUESTION TO THEM IS ARE WEBETTER OFF NOT HAVING IT ORHAVING ITÃAND I THINKANOTHER TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX”“MAYOR KERNER TOLD ME THECOUNTY WILL SOON START APUBLIC SERVICE CAMPAIGN TO GETTHE MESSAGE OUT ABOUT THE APP.WE PUT A LINK TO THE APP ONOUR WEBSITEÃWPTV DOT- COM.IN PALM BEACH COUNTY, MB,WPTV, NEWS CHANNEL 5”