B.C. hires hundreds more COVID-19 contact tracers as health officials continue to dismiss federal app

Health officials in British Columbia say hundreds of new contact tracers are being hired to help manage the workload as the number of new COVID-19 cases surgeto staggering new heights in British Columbia but they're continuing to downplay the usefulness of the federal COVID Alert app.

On Monday, Dr. Rka Gustafson, deputy provincial health officer, announced 1,120 new cases inB.C. since the previous update on Friday. Each of the three days accounted for more daily cases than ever before, in a province where the previous record set a week earlier had been 317 new daily cases.

Gustafsonreported 2,945 active cases, and 6,448 people under active public health monitoring.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said on Monday thatthe province is hiring hundreds of new contact tracers, in addition to the 500 to 600 people whohave been doing the work since the pandemic began sometimes while doing other work as well.

"This work has been particularly important in recent weeks, when you have more than 6,000 people who are being monitored by public health," said Dix.

He said the hiring processbegan in the summer in anticipation of the respiratory illness season, andby the end of thisweek, 600 new tracers will have been hired, with the goal of hiring 800.

But both Dix and Gustafsondismissed the idea that the federal COVID Alert app, which has been adopted by eight other provinces, could help with the contact tracing load.

"Based on the features of that app, mostly because of the type of information that's provided individuals, it wasn't felt that it would have additional benefit, would be additional value to the existing contact tracing," said Gustafson. "We reviewed that app very, very carefully."

She said B.C. health officials are working with federal partners, but until a series of new features are added to the app, it wouldn't be considered in B.C.

On Friday, the app was updated to allow users to input the date they were tested, as well as when symptoms began.

So far, 4.9 million Canadians have downloaded the app, with2,939 people using it to report a positive COVID-19 test. Health Canada has urged all provinces and territories to activate the app, and suggests people download it even in provinces where it isn't used.Alberta and B.C. are the final two provinces that have yet to activate the app.

But on Monday Gustafsoncriticized the app, sharing a list of shortcomings with reporters.

"It isn't able to notify and tell them when, how long, what they need to do, how intense that contact was, how close that contact was, when it occurred and what they need to do about it," she said.

Gustafson said B.C.'s contact tracers are able to provide people who have been in contact with the virus with specific information they need to "make a meaningful change in their behaviour that reduces the risk to the people they love and to their communities."

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