LANSING — Just one month after the statewide launch, the MI COVID Alert app has reached nearly 500,000 downloads.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) announced that there have been 461,192 downloads of the app.

“So much about fighting COVID is hard, but this is easy: Please download MI COVID Alert on your phone,” MDHHS Director Robert Gordon said. “It protects your privacy and it will help protect us all. If we hit even a million downloads by January 2021, we’ll be safer until a vaccine is available to the broader population.”

With the app, when a person tests positive for COVID-19, they are eligible to receive a randomly generated PIN that allows them to share test results anonymously.

Once a positive result is entered, close contacts will receive an anonymous notification letting them know that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and when the exposure may have taken place.

The MI COVID Alert app is available on both Android and Apple phones through the App Store.

Other states like Virginia, Arizona, New York, Alabama and New Jersey have similar apps and the apps are compatible with those of other states.