A peer-reviewed paper found that the UK NHS 1.89m contact-tracing app significantly reduced the spread of coronavirus within the UK.
Researchers believe the app could have prevented thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of cases.
“On average, every confirmed case that consented to notification through the app of their contacts prevented one new case,” according to the paper claims.
Nature has accepted the research for publication.
Some researchers were involved in creating and maintaining the NHS contact-tracing app. had previously published some estimates.
The paper was included in Nature because it has been peer-reviewed and approved by other academics. This preview of the papers is available.
What’s the UK NHS 1.89m?
The National Health Service is also known as the NHS. It is the government-funded health and medical care services that all UK residents can access without having to pay full price. These services include:
- Visit a doctor or nurse at a doctor’s surgery.
- If you are unwell or have been injured, seek treatment in a hospital.
- If you are pregnant, see a midwife.
- If you are suffering from serious or life-threatening injuries or other health issues, it is important to seek immediate help from the ambulance service.
These health services are often referred to as “free at the point they are delivered” by many. For example, any UK resident can see a doctor who will diagnose or treat a condition without paying. Most health care services are “publicly funded,” which means that the government has provided money to pay for the visit to a doctor. The majority of the money comes from UK residents who pay taxes.
The UK has more than one UK NHS 1.89m. This is because the responsibility for health care has been transferred to the UK government and the Northern Irish Assembly. NHS England and NHS Wales (GIG Cymru), and NHS Scotland offer health care services in Great Britain.
Although it is officially known as the NHS, the publicly-funded health care system in Northern Ireland is called Health and Social Care Services.
The NHS and HSC offer health care services at no cost to the delivery point. There are differences in the services fully funded by the government and the services available in each country. NHS England asks some individuals to cover a portion of prescriptions, drugs that treat or manage an injury or illness. The government budgets these costs in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Who and when did the UK NHS 1.89m start?
On 5 July 1948, Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan officially opened the UK NHS 1.89m at Park Hospital (now Trafford Hospital) in Manchester. This was when all UK residents had the legal right to receive health services from doctors, nurses, midwives, and dentists. They could not pay in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
Why was there a need for the UK NHS 1.89m?
The NHS was created to share the cost of health services provided by dentists, nurses, midwives, and doctors. When the UK NHS 1.89m was established, a 1948 leaflet was distributed to inform people that:
“It is open to everyone, rich or poor, child or man, and can be used in any way they wish. Except for a few items, there are no fees. There are no insurance qualifications. It is not a charity. It is a “charity” that you all pay for, mainly as taxpayers. This will alleviate your worries about money in times of illness.”
There were many other health systems in Britain before the NHS. To help with medical expenses, low-income workers could use the National Health Insurance Scheme ( ), established in 1911. Some people were covered by council plans, while others joined special societies to cover their expenses. Many people still had to pay for their care, and many, particularly women and those without work, had no choice but to pay the full cost of any required care.
The NHS was created to ensure that everyone has access to health care.
App’ awareness’
UK NHS 1.89m also pointed out that the app could have had an additional, indirect, positive effect.
They suggested that users could keep a greater distance than usual from other people, knowing that the app monitors distances and can later advise on quarantine.
They suggested that this would indicate that our modeling estimate…is too low and our [higher] statistic estimate is more precise.”
A research paper provided some information about the app’s use.
Link: Click
Conclusion
Peer-reviewed research shows that the UK NHS 1.89m Contact-Tracing App reduced the second wave by approximately 25%. This prevented 594,000 of 1.89M cases between October and December 2020. – The NHS Contact-Tracing app had a significant effect on reducing the spread of coronavirus in Britain