The NHS COVID-19 app is proven to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The more people download and use the app, the more cases of coronavirus can be prevented.
New analysis from leading scientists shows that in the first 3 weeks of July 2021, as cases were rising, the app averted up to 2,000 cases per day.
It also shows the app reduces the spread of COVID-19 by around 4.3% each week, and for every 200 to 250 tests entered and shared in the app one person is prevented from being hospitalised from the virus.
The app works with a team of independent scientific advisers from University of Oxfords ’s Pathogen Dynamics Group at the Big Data Institute. These recent findings are published on their blog.
Previously, analysis done by the Alan Turing Institute, Warwick University and University of Oxford reveals that for every 1% increase in app users, the number of coronavirus cases in the population can be reduced by 2.3%.
As of February 2021, the app had been downloaded over 21 million times, representing 56% of the eligible population (smartphone users aged 16 or over in England and Wales). The Alan Turing Institute and University of Oxford analysis indicates that the app has prevented approximately 600,000 cases of coronavirus between September 2020 and January 2021.
Full data about app usage and uptake is published weekly. Read the weekly data publication.
Play your part in reducing the spread of coronavirus by downloading and using the NHS COVID-19 app today.
It’s also important to keep your app updated to the latest version, to give you the best protection against coronavirus. Read about how to update your app.