Until there is an effective treatment or a vaccine for Covid-19 we must rely on tried and tested anti epidemic public health measures. Social distancing, hand washing, covering sneezes or coughing, isolating quarantine both suspected and confirmed cases, rapid contact tracing, and widespread population testing are all really important to protect ourselves and contain the spread of the virus.

We have performed well, but as in AFL, we are just finishing the first quarter of a long, tough game. The pandemic has unfortunately along way to run yet around the world.

Covid-19 a virus which is new to us humans, is very infective, and its coughed or sneezed particles (fomites) survive on objects for many hours. All these public health and hygiene measures aim to starve Covid-19 of what it needs to survive - another person.

After decades of clinical practice, I appreciate how public health measures have achieved amazing results relative to many others, but our success so far should not lull us into a false sense of security or let us be fooled it's not as severe as predicted. It is the same virus that continues to cut a fatal swathe through many other countries and could resurge in Australia if we gave it a break.

To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld the "known knowns", cases imported from overseas travel have virtually ceased. Cases amongst their immediate contacts (known unknowns) contacts are drying up and is evidenced by the "flattening of the curve".

However, within those figures there is a slow increase, albeit from a low base, of community transfer cases from unknown contacts, (unknown unknowns).

This is the group that could be the small wave that launches a delayed second tsunami if we don't identify them by rapid sentinel case contact tracing, identification and containment.

This is exactly where the new voluntary CovidSafe Tracing App is so important.

I have installed it and registered. It is voluntary. It has a single purpose of creating an encrypted digital record or 'Handshake' if an app-enabled phone spends 15 minutes within 1.5 metres of another CovidSafe App enabled phone. The registration requires only your name, age range and a postcode.

It has no geo-locating capability. Its encrypted data remains on your phone and auto deletes after 21 days, given the virus has 14 days' incubation period. It can be deleted at any time by yourself or disabled by turning off Bluetooth capability.

It is limited by federal legislation for use only by state and territory health authorities for the sole purpose of Covid-19 contact tracing. It cannot be used for any other purpose.

It is only accessed if you become infected and you personally authorise upload to the relevant postcode related state/territory health department.

Compared with Facebook or Google use, participating in 'Fly-Buys' programmes, people allow access to vastly more private details, geolocation and spending data voluntarily without blinking! The limited and specific information on COVID Safe App is more secure than Fort Knox.

To contain the virus, we have limited our essential freedoms of association, movement and the right to free physical trade with our customers and limited our workplaces. This voluntary, personally controlled phone app will make it far safer for some of these personal and economic freedoms to return as well as protecting our families, friends and customers and I encourage everyone with Bluetooth enabled smart phone to download and use it.