Covid-19: How Technology Can Limit the Spread Of the Virus

With COVID-19 becoming problematic in the world, governments around the world are working on lockdowns to potentially minimize and eventually eliminate the virus. However, governments are turning now more than ever to technology to find feasible ways to restrict COVID-19 spread. In fact, the results were, to say the least, positive. Numerous technologies available and evolving have helped to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to a great extend.

We have looked at various technology approaches from around the world that are used to manage the outbreak-from deliveries to monitoring, remote work, schooling, etc. According to the WEF, as of mid-April, 191 countries declared or enforced school or university closures, thereby impacting 1.57 billion students leading to colleges and schools transferring their courses and classes online using technology. Technological solutions prove to be crucial in the way governments tackle the pandemic, and thus it is necessary to understand the various approaches being implemented and how.

Contact Tracing: Part Of The Multi-pronged Approach To Fight The Covid-19

Countries around the world are working on and carrying out apps and strategies for touch tracing to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The aim is to digitally classify individuals who could possibly be susceptible to Coronavirus and may need to protect themselves. One of the first to introduce such an app called COVIDsafe was the Australian Government. Likewise, in March 2020 the Government of Singapore released the Trace Together app. The app uses Bluetooth to track user-to-app interactions. The data is stored on the phone of the victim, and in the case of a positive patient with a corona, the relevant authorities use the data to alert all those who may have been exposed to the positive patient.

In particular, contact tracing and/or location tracking was important because it allows the authorities to know where a successful case was going and how many people were close to that person.

Robots: Help Physicians And Other Medical Staff Stay Safe

Since the pandemic outbreak, several firms have been concentrating on contact-less remedies, thereby bringing robots into the frame. The implementation of these robots varies from distribution to screen-based interaction. A computer called Vici, which is a telehealth computer, is used by physicians in the USA. The interface allows the doctors, through a computer, to communicate with the patients. The computer is a laptop and mounted on wheels, which can be used by doctors to speak to patients who perform simple diagnostic functions.

In Singapore, robots provide meals and medicines. In China's Wuhan, one of the isolation wards was completely staffed by robots. Robots were in charge of taking temperatures, supplying food and medicines. A tiny robot named Little Peanut delivered food to passengers on a flight from Singapore to Hangzhou, China that was being kept in a hotel under quarantine, according to Reuters.

Self-driven Vehicles For Data Collection And Distribution

American self-driving vehicle companies send their vehicles to the streets to gather data and help with hassle-free deliveries of food and drugs without any human touch. They are also used for cleaning and disinfecting roads. It also allows self-driving car companies to check real performance and to collect relevant data.

Blockchain: Coming To The Rescue Of Banks

Blockchain has been talked about in banking for some time now; however, it is now being used mainly to reduce the possibility of spreading infection. Italy's 32 banks had full development of the largest blockchain deployments. The application was established by Associazione Bancaria Italiana (ABI), the Italian Banking Association with the goal of promptly and skillfully reconciling discrepancies in the different ledgers for the so-called Nostro and Vostro accounts kept for each other by Italian banks. Blockchain offers easy solutions for digitizing banking and thus reduces touch.

Smart Imaging

Several countries have installed thermal cameras powered by AI that are capable of detecting the temperatures of people in a crowd for a fever. This temperature sensor allows for a quick but contactless solution. And we can use facial-recognition technology to recognize all those without a mask.

Health apps / Tracking via QR codes

Governments around the world have developed a color-coding-based health classification system to be able to monitor people every day. The app selects the following colors-green, red, or yellow and a person's basic travel and medical records are assigned to them.

Such color codes are accessible via an app and aid in determining if a person should be quarantined or whether he/she should be allowed to be out in public spaces. To order to make this more successful, the authorities have built multiple checkpoints to virtually all public spaces to verify the hue.

Chatbots

Inside the hospital, health companies and hospitals have chatbots that communicate with patients. Especially for emergency rooms, the chatbots are rolled out to allow patients to enroll in ER and thus have continuous updates of their treatment via the chatbot. The chatbot sends notifications of all sorts, such as doctor's arrival time, test or a lab result, etc. It gives both the hospital staff and the patients ease, as it guarantees regular updates.

Drones

Another very interesting technology coming into the public domain is that of drones. Although drones have gained popularity for quite some time now, their use has increased during the pandemic, especially in areas severely affected. Drones have been used around the world to facilitate the distribution of medical equipment, medicines, food, etc., in many countries. It prevents all human interaction and therefore controls and does not spread the infection within that small region. Drones were also used on crops in forestry, to be spray disinfectants, etc.

Final Words

While things could sound daunting right now, at the end of the tunnel there is light. Technology is already proving to be an effective solution that helps to control the pandemic spread. Through new advances and evolving technology, we are confident that our learning from this pandemic will not only curb the spread of pandemics but will also be useful in the future.