The Los Angeles school district is launching a Microsoft-developed a COVID-tracking app for children, which allows students to schedule and view the results of COVID tests, post the results of off-campus COVID tests, and schedule vaccinations.
According to a promotional video, however, “the real magic is your daily health check,” where students answer a questionnaire about whether they have any symptoms – after which the “Daily Pass” app will issue the child a scannable QR code to be scanned by a staff member, who will also take the child’s temperature.
“Your entrance ticket appears!” exclaims the narrator.
It’s Microsoft Magik! Thanks Bill for our daily pass! pic.twitter.com/z0rku5SY95
— Jeff Berwick (@BerwickJeff) February 28, 2021
Given the incredibly low transmission rate of COVID transmission at schools – just 0.08% among more than 90,000 students in North Carolina school districts according to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy – one can’t help but question whether Microsoft’s app will actually improve the COVID situation, or simply collect data and habituate children to being tracked. Of note, all data will be reported as required to health authorities, according to the LA Times.
The app, first announced in August, will be ‘instrumental in coordinating student and employee health checks, coronavirus tests and vaccinations.’- READ MORE
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