WHY I’VE DOWNLOADED THE COVIDSAFE TRACKING APP

Queensland Senator Susan McDonald has backed the Federal Government’s new CovidSafe tracking app as the quickest way to ease movement and gathering restrictions, using her own experience of Covid-19 as an example.
Senator McDonald began feeling ill on March 13 and attended Townsville University Hospital that night where she tested positive for Covid-19.
Now clear of the virus, she said the anxiety of knowing she had tested positive was not as acute as the fear she had passed it on, particularly to those most at risk.
After her positive test, Queensland Health began the painstaking process of compiling a list of people she had close contact with and phoning them to advise them of what to do.
Luckily, no one she had met came down with the virus, but problems arose when Senator McDonald didn’t have contact details for many of those people.
“This meant someone could have been moving around spreading the virus unknowingly because Queensland Health couldn’t find them,” she said.
“This app will ensure health authorities don’t have to rely solely on the memory of an infected person or if that person has everyone’s contact details.
“This will help identify people who might not even know they are carrying the virus – protecting them, their family and the community.
“The app will gather contact information of other app users you spend 15 minutes or more in close contact with.
“It’s amazing technology and it will give health professionals a huge time advantage which will save lives.
“If we want to ease restrictions, we need to have a plan and this app goes a long way to achieving that.”

The App can be downloaded from the App stores.