Digital contact-tracing applications had only a limited effect on COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic, according to a paper in the International Journal of Services, Economics and Management. It was suggested that public apathy was to blame, but the bigger problem was that governments and public health authorities failed to integrate the technology effectively into their pandemic response, according to this comparative review. It would be wise to learn this lesson now, before the next pandemic hits.
The team examined research, government publications, and media reports and found that the effectiveness of mobile phone apps depended heavily on institutional leadership, public confidence, and healthcare infrastructure. The authors identify shortcomings in governance, communication, and service delivery as significant obstacles.
Contact-tracing apps were meant to identify people who had been close to someone infected with the virus and alert them to this fact so that they could be tested, and if found to be positive, put themselves in isolation to avoid spreading the disease to other people. There were two main approaches used: location-based tracking, which records visits to particular venues, and proximity tracing, which used the Bluetooth system to register encounters between smartphones.
There was a lot of unclear communication, inadequate privacy safeguards, and poor integration with existing testing and contact-tracing services at the time. Overall, this undermined public confidence and limited the practical value of these apps. It is worth noting that significant amounts of public money were poured into these systems, which ultimately proved wholly inadequate.
As such, the authors argue that governments must establish clear legal safeguards, independent oversight and transparent communication now. This would hopefully ensure that future digital tools are incorporated into functioning public health services in readiness for the next emerging disease. They also suggest that given the global nature of pandemics, there is a pressing need for international coordination to improve cross-border responses.
Lokshina, I.V. and Lanting, C.J.M. (2026) ‘COVID-19 digital proximity-tracing applications: uptake, performance, and public health management implications’, Int. J. Services, Economics and Management, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp.595–612.
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