We rely on your tax-deductible donations to support our mission. Donate online →
Most Policy Initiative logo
Browse Research TOPICS

Contact Tracing Efforts in Kansas City May Yield Big Results in Fighting COVID-19

Published on June 3, 2020
Google shows the author's location information for the past year.

Here’s an exercise for you. Open up Google Maps on your smartphone. Click on your account in the top, right corner, and look for a menu option labeled “Your timeline.” Google routinely backs up your smartphone’s location on its computer servers. This information can be a gold mine for public health workers interested in contact tracing.

Aaron Deacon is the Managing director of KC Digital Drive, an organization dedicated to make Kansas City a digital leader in the U.S. and improve the quality of life of everyone in and around Kansas City. Deacon points out, “contact tracing is old fashioned detective work. You have to rely on peoples’ memories, where they’ve been, and who they had contact with. Memories aren’t always accurate.”

But your smartphone can help. KC Digital Drive is working with other firms (SafePaths, TripleBlind) on a grassroots effort to bring a smarter approach to contact tracing. Called Comeback KC, the group is mapping COVID-19 testing resources on both sides of the Missouri and Kansas state line.

Comeback KC is helping to map locations of COVID-19 testing sites in the Kansas City area.

A smartphone app is also part of the mission. Safe Paths (available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) privately compares your location data with the location of known COVID-19 infections. The app alerts you if you may have been exposed to the virus.

Safe Paths offers to alert users when they may have come into contact with another person infected with COVID-19.

Apple and Google made headlines with their contact tracing efforts, but Deacon says the two tech giants may have missed the mark. “Apple and Google got people talking when they opened their platforms for contact tracing. However, they don’t allow developers access to location information for privacy concerns. Their methods rely only on the Bluetooth signals your phone comes in contact with. But geographical location is critical to tracking down pockets of infection.”

As COVID-19 cases slowly decline, knowing where pockets of infection are is vital for bringing the pandemic to a quick end. “When there gets to be a smaller amount of infected people, that’s when contact tracing with play a big role in ending this pandemic,” says Deacon. The app will help isolate the remaining cases and will help to better direct limited infection-fighting resources.

“One big challenge we have is the pace of resource deployment. We’re coordinating with six different health authorities in the Kansas City area. Jackson County (Missouri) and Johnson County (Kansas) have Federal money to perform COVID-19 testing. Other surrounding counties only have limited state funding. Some counties have more resources than others.” Said Deacon.

Most Policy Initiative logo
Contact
238 E High St., 3rd Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65101
314-827-4549
info@mostpolicyinitiative.org
Newsletter
Newsletter
© 2023 MOST Policy Initiative | Website design and development by Pixel Jam Digital
Privacy Policy
chevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram