Since access to government-funded testing ended for most people, fewer positive test results have been entered in the app and, as a result, fewer notifications sent to close contacts. The number of people actively using the NHS COVID-19 app has steadily reduced since July 2021. This includes providing continued access to government-funded testing, vaccinations and treatments for people at highest risk from the virus. Over the past year, the success of the vaccination programme increased access to treatments and high immunity in the population have enabled the government to target its COVID-19 services.

Leading scientists at the University of Oxford and University of Warwick have estimated that the app prevented around 1 million cases, 44,000 hospitalisations and 9,600 people dying during its first year alone ( ‘Nature Communications’ paper, February 2023) People using the NHS COVID-19 app in England and Wales have helped to break chains of transmission and reduce infections. The NHS COVID-19 app has closed down, so this content is out of date.

Red Alert download the new for android