COVIDWISE app updated to make it easier to find vaccines

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ/VDH Release) - The Virginia Department of Health has unveiled an upgraded COVIDWISE app, saying it’s now easier for users to find and schedule COVID-19 vaccines.

The new “Vax Info” button allows users to find local vaccination providers and schedule appointments with fewer clicks, according to VDH, as well as other 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, says VDH. Virginia iPhone users who use COVIDWISE Express continue to get notifications about people who have been exposed to COVID, 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, according to VDH. The app can also be updated through the Apple and Google Play stores.

More than 2.1 million Virginians have gotten COVID-19 exposure notifications with COVIDWISE since it launched in August 2020, according to VDH.

COVIDWISE alerts users if they have been in close contact with people who anonymously reported positive COVID-19 test results. The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to 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, according to VDH.

COVIDWISE works across Washington D.C. and more than 20 states that have similar exposure notification systems using the National Key Server, designed to help “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 covidwise.org.