Coronavirus tracing app glitches after just six days sparking health warning - but authorities say you MUST download it if COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are to be completely lifted
- Australia's COVIDSafe app could be interfering with diabetes-monitoring apps
- More than four-million users have downloaded the app since its Sunday launch
- Health authorities warn it must be downloaded before we can return to the pub
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Australia's coronavirus tracing app could be interfering with diabetes-monitoring apps - but health authorities say it must be downloaded before we can return to the pub.
More than four-million Australians have downloaded the COVIDSafe app, which has been hailed as the nation's ticket out of strict lockdown restrictions.
But some users have reported a glitch with the app after experiencing connection problems with their continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) apps.
The Australian Government COVIDSafe app hopes to slow the spread of coronavirus by using Bluetooth connections to trace who infected people came into close contact with.
Australia's coronavirus tracing app could be interfering with diabetes-monitoring apps. Pictured: A woman uses her mobile phone while walking at Bondi Beach
More than four-million Australians have downloaded the COVIDSafe app (pictured), which has been hailed as the nation's ticket out of strict lockdown restrictions
Diabetes Australia said there was 'no need to panic' when flagging the connectivity issues in a post to Facebook on Wednesday.
'We have received reports from a number of people with diabetes who have downloaded the COVIDSafe app to their smartphone that they have experienced connection problems with their continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) apps,' the post said.
'We have advised the Department of Health that there may be an issue.'
Share this article
Diabetes Australia encouraged those who use an app for CGM and have downloaded COVIDSafe to 'closely monitor' if there are connectivity issues.
'If you are worried, you should temporarily uninstall the COVIDSafe app from your phone,' the post read.
'If you have experienced any issues since downloading the COVIDSafe app, please let us know.'
Diabetes Australia said there was 'no need to panic' when flagging the connectivity issues in a post to Facebook on Wednesday
Pictured: A woman in a face mask uses her mobile phone while walking across the Princes Bridge in Melbourne
Diabetes Australia said they would provide additional updates when they receive further information.
Federal and state leaders agreed to bring forward a decision on relaxing coronavirus restrictions after the latest National Cabinet meeting on Friday.
They will decide on relaxing some social and economic clamps on Friday, May 8 - a week earlier than expected.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said restarting the economy was as important as stopping the spread of the virus.
'Australians have earned an early mark through the work that they have done,' he said.
Expanded testing capacity, boosting tracing through the COVIDSafe app and preparing the health system for surges in infections are paving the way for relaxed restrictions.
The Federal Government has warned that millions more Australians need to download the app - which was launched on Sunday April 26 - to ease baseline national restrictions
National Cabinet is confident those conditions have largely been met, allowing leaders to move faster on changing the rules.
More than four-million people have downloaded and registered for the contact tracing app, which was launched on Sunday, April 26.
Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy urged more to sign up, with the number of people on board not enough to make the scheme effective.
'We need the app uptake to be higher before we can say that the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle of contact tracing is there,' he said.
Mr Morrison said getting back to the pub would be rely on people signing up for the app.
Federal and state leaders agreed to bring forward a decision on relaxing coronavirus restrictions after the latest National Cabinet meeting on Friday. Pictured: A woman uses her phone in Melbourne during the coronavirus pandemic
'Now if that isn't an incentive for Australians to download COVIDSafe on a Friday, I don't know what is,' he said.
But the COVIDSafe app's tracing capability is not yet operational.
The information gathered by the app cannot yet be passed onto state and territory health officials as it is in the process of being finalised.
'The rules on privacy are being finalised, along with final IT testing,' a Department of Health spokesman said in a statement to the ABC.
'The system will be operational next week ahead of the decision on possible easing of restrictions.'
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd believes it is 'realistic' to expect millions more to sign up before the National Cabinet sits next Friday to consider lifting restrictions.
But he conceded that app is not yet live and won't up and running until next week, and health officials can not use the data but will be able to trace back from the time when someone downloaded the app.
