Pinged by app. Can someone explain please??

[selfisolationq]

Ok so today I got a notification on the app that I've been in close contact with someone who has tested positive and I have to isolate for 4 days.

I phoned the test and trace number and the lady said oh it could be that you walked past someone who tested positive. She said if you've not been contacted by actual contact tracers you are not really a contact.

Then when I read on the app info (it's test and protect Scotland) it states that my phone will ping me if it's been within 2 metres for more than 15 mins.

This isn't a question of isolating - it's easy for me to isolate. I'd no intention of not isolating.

I'm just trying to work out my level of risk.

The place I think it was, was college on Monday as I didn't go anywhere else. Even though it's supposed to happen - no 1m distancing and most don't wear masks - I did for the vast majority of the 2 hr lesson - took it off for like a minute.

Does anyone know how this works?? Cause there's a big difference between walking past and being near for ages. Maybe contact tracers will contact me later but you'd think they would've by now.

That seems really odd that it would notify you but you might not be a contact

it states that my phone will ping me if it's been within 2 metres for more than 15 mins.

That’s technically correct. The English app was a bit too reactive and was changed in July, I’m not sure if the Scotland one was affected too.

It won’t have pinged because you walked past someone; but it could have been if you queued behind someone for 15 minutes etc.

I work for test and protect in Scotland and a
contact tracer won’t contact you if you have been pinged thorough the app

When we call someone who has covid we ask if they have the app on there phone , if they do we then send a 6 digit code to the that they upload to their phone , it the information
everyone who have been in close contact to with that person
Hope this helps

@llm24 I got the ping from the app and then it was me who phoned them. I thought it was the same thing you see. But the lady said we have nothing on system (contact tracing) for you. I'm just really confused tbh. Literally the ONLY place I've been with phone this week was college on Monday. Did a couple of school runs and nipped to shops but didn't bring phone so can't have been anything else. Sat in class for 2 hours on Monday with phone though. So if I was within 2 m for more than 15 mins of someone who's later tested positive, it must have been significant contact in college, so I'm confused as to why I've not been called by contact tracers.
Can you shed any further light??

I'm sorry if I sound like a pain, it's just that I'd like to know how risky my contact was. When the lady said oh you could've walked past someone in college I was a bit more relieved, but then read the guidelines saying it wouldn't ping just for that.

@selfisolationq

As part of my role I only phone individual people who have Covid and to find out who they have been in contact with and don’t deal with education outbreaks so can’t help more than I have said above

Have you been double vaccinated?

[quote selfisolationq]@llm24 I got the ping from the app and then it was me who phoned them. I thought it was the same thing you see. But the lady said we have nothing on system (contact tracing) for you. I'm just really confused tbh. Literally the ONLY place I've been with phone this week was college on Monday. Did a couple of school runs and nipped to shops but didn't bring phone so can't have been anything else. Sat in class for 2 hours on Monday with phone though. So if I was within 2 m for more than 15 mins of someone who's later tested positive, it must have been significant contact in college, so I'm confused as to why I've not been called by contact tracers.
Can you shed any further light??

I'm sorry if I sound like a pain, it's just that I'd like to know how risky my contact was. When the lady said oh you could've walked past someone in college I was a bit more relieved, but then read the guidelines saying it wouldn't ping just for that.[/quote]
The app is not test and protect as they are separate entities. The app works on Bluetooth and will judge whether your phone (and you) was within 2m of someone else's phone (who has tested positive) for 15 minutes or more. Test and Protect won't have your details as the app is anonymous.

Test and Protect comes into play if someone gives your details as a close contact and then they phone you to tell you to isolate.

If contact was 6 days ago on Monday, you'd be likely to show symptoms by now if you will or at least flag up on a test if you are infected.

If you are double vaccinated then you can take a PCR to release you from isolation (if its negative)

@llm24 I had the first vaccine on June 16th, still waiting on the second. I'm 33. I'm really hoping I don't get it. My DD has had so many periods of isolation from school contacts in her nat 5 and it's her higher year now. My DS is just starting high school tomorrow, after having to change high school at the last minute, and he had COVID in Dec and was off. I'm really hoping I don't have it to give to them. That's why I am trying to work out the risk.

I was sitting beside someone in college who is under 18 and works on a COVID ward, and also a lecturer was self isolating from Fri.

We take LFTs sometimes, I actually took one last night was negative. I'm going to book a PCR as the T+T person advised, even though I've no symptoms.

For your own peace of mind I would go or order a PCR test x

A PCR won't release you from isolation if not fully vaccinated.

You could go to a drop in vaccination clinic if you are more than 8 weeks since your first vaccine (after your isolation has finished)

I don't mind isolating, college will be OK with it and DC are in high school. Need to put electric on the key meter though, will call the supplier ask them to add debt to the emergency credit.

I'm ordering a PCR test.

It's strange that I've not been contact traced if I was close contact. I know they can't tell me for confidentiality reasons, but I'd like to know the proximity, length of contact and when the person tested positive.

People are being pinged for bizarre reasons. I know someone who was pinged and told to isolate for 9 days! She hadn't been anywhere as her own children were off school Isolating. Turns out it was her neighbour. Their phones had linked them as close contacts. She later found out it was her neighbour - she didn't know for a few days who it was. The timings suggested it was indeed the neighbour. She was pinged a few hours after his positive result.

@selfisolationq

I don't mind isolating, college will be OK with it and DC are in high school. Need to put electric on the key meter though, will call the supplier ask them to add debt to the emergency credit.

I'm ordering a PCR test.

It's strange that I've not been contact traced if I was close contact. I know they can't tell me for confidentiality reasons, but I'd like to know the proximity, length of contact and when the person tested positive.

They don't know your details. The app is anonymous and works on Bluetooth.

@dementedpixie I know that, I just thought from what the T+T person said, that if I was a 'proper' close contact, I'd have been called by contact tracers since the college have my details. Or maybe you don't get contacted by tracers if you have the app pinged. It's all so confusing. xx

@Karlee30 yeah I've heard of that!! My DD has the app though and she's not been pinged.

[quote selfisolationq]@dementedpixie I know that, I just thought from what the T+T person said, that if I was a 'proper' close contact, I'd have been called by contact tracers since the college have my details. Or maybe you don't get contacted by tracers if you have the app pinged. It's all so confusing. xx[/quote]
Maybe they mean that pinging from the app is not legally binding like what a call from contact tracers would be. The college may not know that someone had tested positive either as the person enters a code into the app and then that alerts other phones that that person's phone has been in contact with

Yeah, maybe the college won't know until tomorrow.

Hoping that if the person has literally just tested positive, that they wouldn't have been infectious on Monday.

The fact you have had an app notification means you were in contact when they were likely to be in their infectious period.

It's possible that the person hasn't actually gone through their contacts with test & protect yet.

When I tested positive on a lateral flow, I got a text with a code to put in the app quite quickly (which then notified app users who were in contact with me during the infectious period) but I didn't get a call from T&P until several hours later. If your contact was at college, then T&P would presumably have to contact college for your details and this all takes time. Especially given the number of cases there are at the moment!

So you may still end up getting a phonecall or text from T&P in a day or two.

@selfisolationq

Yeah fingers crossed you wouldn’t have been with the person during their infectious period so you won’t be a contact from a test and protect call

The numbers are so crazy just now it can be a couple of days before you hear from them - if you even do

Hope ur ok x

@selfisolationq the rules have all changed for contacts depending on the age of the person with covid

It’s all so confusing
I haven’t been at work for a couple
of days and think it’s changed again to low risk and high risk contact

@llm24 Yeah I read about that, something about 18 years and 4 months ..

Really hoping I've not contracted it.