On August 9, 2022, Australia’s COVIDSafe app was officially decommissioned, and all its features removed. People were encouraged to uninstall the app. Reports of its closure have made international news. On ceasing COVIDSafe, health minister Mark Butler said the “Albanese government acted to delete the wasteful and ineffective COVIDSafe app” and accused the former government… Read more »
Signing in on the Service NSW QR code is mandatory at all workplaces and retail businesses from today, July 12. The change comes as Sydney recorded a record 112 locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to 8pm Sunday. More than half, 64, are linked to a known case or cluster, including 41 as household contacts… Read more »
As people hope to travel again in 2021, a healtchare worker has come up with a tech solution to help navigate the covid-safe demands of airlines. Erika Harman, a dietician studying for her Masters in Healthcare Innovations at Bond University, developed the app VaxVisa to carry verifiable digital certificates for vaccination and laboratory test results. She… Read more »
The $5 million COVIDsafe app downloaded by 7 million Australians has been able to find 17 unique cases on top of the infections already picked up by existing contact tracing in the six months since it was released. With advertising promoting the app as one of the cornerstones of contact tracing, alongside hygiene and social… Read more »
Australia has ruled out abandoning the government’s COVIDSafe contact tracing app in favour of the rival “Gapple” model developed by Google and Apple, which is gaining widespread support around the world. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth told The Project the COVIDSafe app was “a great platform”. When it comes down to it, is the… Read more »
Hello to Monday. Hope it’s a fun one. Here’s what we’ve spotted. 1. Unicorn hunting US startup sector analytics company CB Insights has picked out two Australian companies among the 50 it thinks could be the next unicorns (ie worth more than US$1bn). SafetyCulture and Culture Amp – 4% of the total with the US… Read more »
G’day team, it’s Friday and just as you’re allowed out, it starts to rain.. And here’s what’s going on. 1. Apple comes to CovidSafe’s rescue Remember the problems for iPhone users with the Australian government’s contact tracing app, CovidSafe? It was all about the Bluetooth – the detection device in the app – not working… Read more »
In late March, we posed a hypothetical scenario to a sample of Australians, asking if they would download a contact tracing app released by the federal government; 70% responded in favour. But a more recent survey, following the release of COVIDSafe, revealed only 44% of respondents had downloaded it. The Australian government’s COVIDSafe app aims… Read more »
The Australian government’s COVIDSafe app has been up and running for almost a fortnight, with more than five million downloads. Unfortunately, since its release many users – particularly those with iPhones – have been in the dark about how well the app works. Digital Transformation Agency head Randall Brugeaud has now admitted the app’s effectiveness… Read more »
More than two million people had downloaded the federal government’s COVIDSafe app in the 24 hours after its release on Sunday night. The government is hoping at least 40% of the population will make use of the app, designed to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease. Previously dubbed TraceTogether – in line with… Read more »
Atlassian boss Mike Cannon-Brookes and Square Peg Capital’s Paul Bassat are among the tech sector’s high-profile supporters of the federal government’s contact-tracing smartphone app, CovidSafe, released on Sunday, but many remain wary of letting politicians anywhere near their data amid ongoing suspicion of their motives. Cannon-Brookes came out in favour of the app, which… Read more »
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