You can finally delete the COVID Alert App from your smartphone. The federal government is decommissioning it.
"While the pandemic is not over, the decision to decommission COVID Alert comes after careful consideration following discussions with provinces and territories on the ongoing evolution of public health programming," the federal government said in a release on Friday.
Ontario and other jurisdictions halted widespread public PCR testing in December. Since then, the app has issued fewer notifications alerting Canadians of an exposure to the virus.
Nearly 90 per cent of Canadians are vaccinated against COVID-19. Case counts, hospitalization rates, and deaths are decreasing. The government said, "we are now better equipped to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce pressure on the healthcare system."
Since its launch on July 31, 2020, over 6.9-million people downloaded the app. COVID Alert sent 456,349 notifications and identified at least 2,446 confirmed cases of COVID-19.