MI COVID Alert Status

MI COVID Alert is the COVID-19 exposure notification app supported by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), in partnership with SpringML, Google, and Apple.  Your personal use of MI COVID Alert helps inform others of possible exposure to COVID-19 if they are suspected of having been within close proximity to someone who has tested positive.  Once downloaded, users of MICOVIDAlert who have enabled it will exchange anonymous Bluetooth “keys” (random alpha-numeric codes that represent a Bluetooth signal) with other MI COVID Alert users.  Apple and Google will delete the exposure notification service tools from their respective operating systems once the pandemic reaches a point that public health no longer requires the use of this technology.  If someone reports that they tested positive for COVID-19, MICOVIDAlert will search for other users who shared the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signal.  The BLE framework within MI COVID Alert will run in the background, even if the exposure notification app is closed.  That validation pin must be entered into MICOVIDAlert to report a notification of possible exposure to other users.  Public health will provide MI COVID Alert users with a validation pin.  When you download MI COVID Alert, you are helping your community stay ahead of any potential surge in COVID-19 cases.  If the timeframe was at least 15 minutes and the estimated distance was within six feet, then the other user receives a notification of a possible exposure.  MICOVIDAlert uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) API framework created through a unique collaboration between Apple and Google.  If you have the current Apple or Google operating system installed on your device, you may have noticed that Exposure Notifications are now included.  The BLE signals are date-stamped and MI COVID Alert estimates how close the two devices were based on signal strength.  No personal data or location tracking occurs within MI COVID Alert.  You cannot enable this function until you have downloaded MI COVID Alert.  MDHHS and local public health staff follow up with persons who have a positive COVID-19 laboratory report.