Extended reach of COVID-19 exposure notification systems

18th August 2020

Alex Lynn

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The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced that work is underway to create a specification that will enable wearable devices to participate in an existing smartphone-based Exposure Notification System (ENS).

By extending an ENS to include wearables, such as wristbands, it can better address population groups where smartphone usage remains low, including children in primary school and older adults living in care facilities. An initial draft of the specification is expected to be released and available for review within the next few months.

Typically deployed by government health agencies, all public ENSs to date have used Bluetooth® technology already embedded in smartphones to notify people when they have been in close contact with someone who was later diagnosed with COVID-19. Due to their broad adoption, smartphones represent an ideal foundation for launching an ENS. However, smartphones alone are not a practical approach to cover all segments of the population.

“There are several population groups critical to managing the spread of diseases like COVID-19 with relatively low smartphone penetration, presenting a coverage challenge for smartphone-based Exposure Notification Systems.” said said Elisa Resconi, a Professor at the Technical University of Munich leading research on the spread of COVID-19. “We believe including wearable devices in an ENS would be a very effective method for extending its reach to support these important groups.”

Recognising this need, more than 130 Bluetooth member companies have joined the Bluetooth SIG Exposure Notification Working Group (ENWG) to define a standardised method for adding support for wearable devices while preserving the same privacy and security protections of the ENS. The ENWG is open to all Bluetooth SIG member companies and serves as a centralised forum for discussion on the effective use of Bluetooth technology in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

“It is incredibly inspiring to see the Bluetooth community’s collaboration in finding and creating innovative ways to leverage Bluetooth technology to address the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG. “We are grateful for the dedication and commitment of the Bluetooth members and proud of their work on this important effort.”