VDH updates COVIDWISE mobile app

The Virginia Department of Health’s free COVID-19 exposure app, COVIDWISE, now makes it easier for users to find and schedule a COVID-19 vaccine.

The new  “Vax Info” button allows users to find local vaccination providers and schedule an appointment with fewer clicks, as well as other valuable vaccination-related information and resources from VDH and the CDC.

“Virginia has reached the milestone of having 70 percent of adults with their first shot,” said State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, M.D., M.A. “It remains vital that more Virginians get vaccinated, and this update to COVIDWISE will make it easier than ever to find and get a shot.”

Vax Info and Virtual VDH are only available to users who have installed the COVIDWISE app. Virginia iPhone users who use COVIDWISE Express continue to benefit from exposure notifications technology but can download the full free app from the app store.

Users who have their smartphones set to allow automatic updates should have received the latest version over the past several days without having to do anything. The app can also be updated through the Apple and Google Play stores.

More than 2.1 million Virginians have embraced COVID-19 exposure notifications with COVIDWISE since it launched in August.

COVIDWISE alerts users if they have been in close contact with an individual who anonymously reported a positive COVID-19 test result. The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to quickly notify users who have likely been exposed to COVID-19 with the goal of reducing the risk of infection and stopping disease transmission.

COVIDWISE does not use any personal information or location data.

COVIDWISE works across Washington D.C. and more than 20 states that have similar exposure notification systems using the National Key Server. This helps to ensure users receive exposure notifications, if exposed to people from a participating state or jurisdiction.

To learn more about COVIDWISE and download the app, visit www.covidwise.org.

For more information on COVID-19 in Virginia, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.