A new digital COVID-19 contact tracing program in Los Angeles County aims to cut down on the notification of potential exposure to the virus from days to hours.

Individuals with a positive test are now able to immediately and anonymously notify anyone with whom they have recently come in close contact, using their mobile phones through a partnership with Healthvana.

By reducing COVID-19 exposure notifications from days to hours, officials hope to further reduce community spread by encouraging close contacts to quickly quarantine and obtain a free test. This is only one aspect of the County’s extensive effort on contact tracing which is led by the Department of Public Health.

“This is a prime example of how to harness technology to help Angelenos immediately inform their contacts and help slow the spread of infection, especially as we see the rate of infections and hospitalizations rising in communities across the County,” said Dr. Clemens Hong, director of whole-person care with the Department of Health Services, which oversees the County’s testing sites. “By rapidly alerting people who may have been exposed to the virus so they can use that information to isolate themselves and protect their loved ones, we can make big strides in slowing progression and reducing the terrible impacts of COVID illness.”

Los Angeles County has partnered with Healthvana since April 2020, which already delivers test results for county-operated sites. Test result notifications are sent via text message or email the moment the lab processes the sample.

With this added feature, individuals who receive a positive test result can easily click a link within the web-based patient portal to enter contact information for any recent close contacts, according to the county.

See Related: Los Angeles County Partners With Citizen SafePass App For Digital Coronavirus Contact Tracing

These close contacts instantly receive a notification from Healthvana alerting them that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 with links to resources, including locations where they can schedule a free COVID-19 test.

The contact tracing feature will be initially rolled out to County-operated testing sites. There are currently over 180 total testing sites across the region which include County-operated sites, City of Los Angeles-operated sites, State-operated sites and locations run by community clinics, pharmacies, and various other testing partners.

Healthvana has delivered over 750,000 COVID-19 test results to County-operated testing sites since late April. Los Angeles County was one of the first counties to deliver test results via Healthvana, which has been proven successful: 50 percent of individuals view test results in 10 mins or less; 75 percent view their test results in one hour or less and 90 percent view their test results in four hours or less.

This announcement comes after the roll-out of SafePass by the Citizen app that can help individuals manage all COVID-related exposure alerts and information. It utilizes technology to provide digital contact tracing, in addition to providing its users with regular symptom tracking and testing information.

SafePass uses mobile Bluetooth to anonymously track people with whom an individual has come into contact. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, it will provide an anonymous alert to those contacts and provide options for nearby testing sites. Users can also opt-in to voluntarily share their health status with friends and family.

All of the data that is collected through the contact tracing system is encrypted, stored securely for 30 days and then permanently deleted. These privacy precautions are intended to fully protect its users and their contacts.

Contrastly, the Healthvana program does not use tracking, it is a tool for those who test positive to notify their contacts.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.