June 29, 2021
1 min read

EU, WHO unveil new tool for contact tracing

The tool, described as an indicator framework, will provide countries with a standardised approach for evaluating their use of digital proximity tracing solutions…reports Asian Lite News

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have developed a tool to evaluate the public health effectiveness of contact tracing solutions, according to a statement.

The tool, described as an indicator framework, will provide countries with a standardised approach for evaluating their use of digital proximity tracing solutions, Xinhua news agency quoted the ECDC statement issued on Monday as saying.

It will also assess the extent to which these solutions have aided national contact tracing strategies for Covid-19, the statement noted.

Countries have employed innovative technologies throughout the pandemic to support the implementation of public health and social measures.

Digital proximity tracing, by using smartphones or other devices to capture anonymised interactions between individuals and which would then issue alerts, emerged as a new means of support for contact tracing programs.

“This new indicator framework offers countries a standardized approach to gather the evidence and assess the contribution that digital proximity tracing technology has made to large-scale contact tracing efforts for Covid-19,” said Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, director of the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems at WHO/Europe.

“We anticipate that it will become an invaluable tool,” she added.

Vicky Lefevre, head of the ECDC Public Health Functions Unit, said that digital proximity tracing technology is a new tool for a new challenge.

It is vital to evaluate its public health effectiveness in order to understand how best to use this technology right now as well as for future pandemics, Lefevre concluded.

ALSO READ: Poonawalla hopes to resolve Covishield, EU travel issues soon

Previous Story

Johnson defends handling of Hancock’s exit

Next Story

UK bans major crypto exchange Binance

Latest from -Top News

Musk Goes Political

Billionaire tech mogul launches ‘America Party’ to challenge Washington’s status quo…reports Asian Lite News In a sensational twist to the Trump-Musk fallout saga, the Tesla CEO launched his own “America Party”. Musk

UAE Takes Part in 3rd BRICS Sherpa Meeting

For the UAE, BRICS provides a valuable platform for dialogue and policy coordination across regions….reports Asian Lite News Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs and the UAE’s

7/7 London & 12/3 Bombay – Tale of Two Cities

The 7/7 bombings changed London forever. The Victorian-era Tube system still struggles with outages and emergencies. A minor fire or power failure still sends people scrambling in fear.  I saw the same

Khamenei Breaks Cover in Tehran

Iran’s Supreme Leader makes first public appearance since conflict with Israel, as mystery over his wartime absence continues. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance on Saturday since
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Indian-origin prof was ‘blacklisted’ on Twitter for Covid info

Weiss shares a screenshot on her Twitter, which shows Bhattacharya’s

Russia offers India help in overcoming oil price cap

While India has many times called for peace negotiations over