Testing & optimising a mobile app in Belgium for the prevention and management of COVID-19 infections

This project aims to develop and test a digital contact mapping tool

(the ‘COVered App’ to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of

the overarching contact tracing strategy in Flanders and Belgium.

The COVered app goes beyond Belgium's current approach by

combining GPS data, which records locations, with BLE technology

to map contacts. It allows exchange of care-related information

between eHealth and CoZo.be (Collaboratief Zorgplatform

/Collaborative Care Platform), including the national laboratory

results server. This project includes 3 work packages that will be

simultaneously executed: 1. Open beta testing in 20,000 residents of

Ghent to assess and optimise the app’s functionality and capability to

detect contacts, super spreading, and hotspots; 2. Legal and ethical

challenges to propose a new legal framework to answer health law,

ethical and privacy issues; 3. Privacy & information security to

determine requirements and create guidance for app development.

This grant will enable the COVered app to generate conclusive

scientific evidence about Belgian tools for digital contact mapping,

thereby providing a scientific basis for the Belgian government to

consider in the current and future pandemics.