JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

We evaluate a Bluetooth-based mobile contact-confirming app (COCOA) in Japan to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resulting from a novel virus termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). The approach prioritizes the privacy protection of users from a variety of responders (e.g., the infected, the exposed, the potential attackers, and the public authorities), enhances the capacity of load balancing of excessive pressure on the healthcare systems (e.g., local triage of exposure risk and reduction of in-person visits), raises the speed of responses to the pandemic (e.g., automated recording of close contact based on proximity), and reduces the operation errors and population mobility. The peer-to-peer framework intends to provide the public with dynamic and credible updates on COVID-19 without sacrificing their private information. However, cautions need to be exercised to address critical concerns such as the rate of participation and delays of data sharing. Simulation implies that the participation rate in Japan needs to be close 90% to effectively control the spread of COVID-19.