Update July 31: Canada has launched COVID Alert for iOS and Android users to download to smartphones, available first in Ontario with more provinces to come.
The federal government has launched a new app called Canada COVID-19 to keep Canadians informed about the coronavirus outbreak.
Canada COVID-19 is available for iOS and Android users to bring recommendations about COVID-19, along with actionable next times. Users can also get updates and alerts about coronavirus sent to their smartphones, including location-based alerts. The app is updated automatically with the latest news on COVID-19 from the Ministry of Health.
The app asks users their preferred language, age, postal code and location. According to the government, “the data you provide will be combined with all user data and used to inform the provincial COVID-19 response, and to allow you to receive location-based alerts.”
Data entered into the app will not be sold or used for any other purpose, while also stored and encrypted in Canada.
“This app is just one more way that we can give Canadians information that they are seeking during this outbreak. We are going to continue to reach out to Canadians in any way possible, so that we can work together to flatten the curve,” said Health Minister Patty Hajdu, at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Vancouver-based healthcare tech company Thrive Health developed the app. Download links below:
If the app layout of Canada COVID-19 looks familiar, that’s because Thrive Health also created a similar app for residents in British Columbia, made available just over a week ago.
