TraceSCAN gets thumbs up from Ontario government
A made-in-Ontario COVID-19 contact tracing solution has been endorsed by the provincial government.
TraceSCAN is a wearable technology solution that relies on Bluetooth technology to track interactions—and thus possible COVID contacts—among users. It was developed by the Waterloo technology company, Facedrive in partnership with the University of Waterloo, and MT>Ventures.
In late June, Fracedrive received a letter from the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, in which the government said that TraceSCAN can play a significant role in increasing the reach of the soon-to-be-released COVID Alert systems developed by the governments of Ontario and Canada.
In particular, the ministry said the TraceSCAN app and Bluetooth wearables integration could be valuable for workplaces where mobile usage is restricted—such as construction sites.
During a webinar on July 7, Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer, Ron Kelusky explained that the government’s endorsement of TraceSCAN is as a supplement to the COVID Alert system, which is due for launch this month.
“There is a strong eco-system for contact tracing and exposure notification systems out there,” he said. “We see those solutions supporting one another, all with the goal of controlling the spread of COVID, and our view is that the more solutions that are out there and being used, the better.”
TraceSCAN is already being pilot tested by members of the Labourers International Union of North America site at the Parliament Hill renovation project in Ottawa. It uses Bluetooth technology to gauge proximity between users and duration of encounters. If a user tests positive for COVID-19, the system can alert all those people with whom the carrier was in contact. Doing so enables those people to get tested for the virus and self-quarantine if necessary.
“We are extremely pleased to have received the support of the Government of Ontario. This is an exciting step for Facedrive,” said Facedrive CEO Sayan Navaratnam. “We believe that the government’s COVID Alert app will be instrumental in containment efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic as our economy opens up again. TraceSCAN will further enhance the functionality of COVID Alert to make sure we are reaching underserved and vulnerable demographics.”
TraceSCAN’s data privacy features have been developed in conjunction with MT>Ventures, a division of McCarthy Trétrault LLP. TraceSCAN’s wearable and AI technology is being co-developed by Facedrive and the University of Waterloo.