Stay Informed on the Latest Developments about COVID-19.
COVID-19 is a worldwide ongoing emergency situation. The virus is virulent
and affecting millions of people worldwide. Nations around the world are
struggling hard and spending a bulk of money and resources to fight the virus.
This pandemic is not only putting an enormous pressure on the medical system,
but also overburdening the medical staff specially doctors due to which
governments and health departments across the world are preferably turning
towards technology to help contest the virus.
When the virus first broke out in Wuhan, China straightaway moved towards its
technology sector. As one of the world's most influential leading tech
innovators, China found it an ideal time to use robots and drones to support
humans in battling the deadly virus. It relied heavily on technology such as
artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to track and fight COVID-19.
The Wuhan field hospital was staffed with 5G-powered robots. These robots
proved beneficial for lessening the human tension as well as to confine the
(possibly) infected people. Now, robots are playing a great role by becoming the
contactless delivery tool for online shopping for the quarantined, by providing
medical supplies to hospitals and by minimizing human to human contact. This
step is definitely going to reduce cross-infection.
The world has seen China defeating the virus through high- tech systems as
mentioned above. Now, different hospitals in Thailand have also started using
the “Ninja Robots” to minimise the burden of doctors and other medical
workers. These black coloured robots were basically designed for monitoring
the stroke patients but due to the ongoing emergency of COVID-19, they have
been specified for measuring fever in at least four hospitals of Bangkok. UVD
robots are used in public spaces to kill bacteria and viruses through ultraviolet
lights. These robots are playing a huge part for us by containing the disease and
helping us avoid such viruses.
China has taken a step even further by introducing smart helmets to their police
departments. Equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, along with 5G connectivity &
infrared cameras, the helmets enable the wearer to measure a person’s
temperature by maintaining a social distance of five meters.
Technology has definitely made its way into our world. COVID -19 has made
people look up for digital health solutions such as high- tech IT systems using
thermal drone cameras. A number of police departments are heading towards
the usage of drones for monitoring and enforcing lockdown situations as well
for keeping an eye for homeless population. One of the safest and fastest ways
to provide medical supplies during a disease outbreak with minimal risk is with
drone delivery.
Due to the exponential and fast growth of COVID-19, immediate and effective
measures have to be taken to save people from getting victimised knowingly or
otherwise. We need to understand the life cycle and contributing factors of
COVID-19 in order to mark a full stop to this pandemic, and the use of
technology is inevitable in this regard.
Technology has always proved to be a smart tool in improving the quality of
life. A variety of technical tools are contributed by the software developers in
order to help combat and save lives.
A number of Asian countries are getting benefitted by smartphone apps in terms
of tracking data of the tested positive masses for COVID-19. Taiwan and
Singapore are using such apps to monitor the people who move out of the
quarantined area. South Korea has introduced an isolation enforcing app for the
people who are supposed to be quarantined for a specific time period.
Google and apple, by their joint effort, are going to enable the governments and
health agencies to mitigate the pandemic spread through Bluetooth technology.
Both companies are heading towards the release of a draft documentation of an
Exposure Notification System in service of privacy-preserving contact tracing:
Exposure Notification - Bluetooth Specification
Exposure Notification - Cryptography Specification
Exposure Notification - Framework API
Exposure Notification - Frequently Asked Questions
A huge number of people are anticipated to download the contact tracing app in
the recent future in order to slow down the pandemic spread. Another document
has been published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention featuring
the critical features of the contact tracing app.
The contact tracing app use signals from smartphones for tracing the contacts of
a COVID 19 + . This step would be really beneficial for sending suspected
persons to quarantine unless tested. The app has recently been deployed in
Singapore and Australia.
Contact tracing utilises two main systems “the centralised system & the
decentralised system”. Here the “decentralised System” refers to anonymous
persons and reaching out to the infected persons through automation. The
system does not need phone or email addresses. Whereas the “the centralised
system” provides infection data to public health authorities who reach out to the
infected people manually.
Apple and Google use and strongly recommend the “decentralised” approach
for contact tracing as it keeps the identity of the infected persons private and the
system is faster because of automation. Europe, Germany and Italy are also
backing an Apple-style decentralised system but the debate is still ON around
the world as the respective governments are to decide their own contact tracing
strategy. The CDC has not clearly decided for one side or the other.
Our world has seen this level of pandemic for the first time. Each department
has prioritised public health and putting efforts to save lives. The top challenges
are:
Identification, tracking, and forecasting
1. Positive patients must be identified in the very beginning in order to slow
down the exponential growth of corona virus and to mitigate the damage
caused by. Asymptomatic patients are a big threat in is regard. Any delay
in spreading the knowledge regarding pandemic is near to allowing a
good multitude of masses to fall unknowingly into the danger zone.
2. Identification and geofencing of the high-risk zones is really important.
3. Positive masses must be quarantined and monitored to break the chain.
4. A Canadian startup named BlueDot can detect outbreaks by using AI.
The company warned against the COVID-19 threat a number of days
before the warnings were issued by Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention or the World Health Organization.
AI also provides support to the front-line fighters by efficient diagnosis system
that is claimed to be 96% accurate at diagnosis of the deadly virus in just a few
seconds. It also definitely reduces face-to-face interaction between patients and
the hospital staff. So the time is not far when a global networking system of
virus-detection radars, along with facial recognition and location detection
would help us identifying and monitoring the virus carriers. Therefore, lying
down the analytical foundation for battling this pressing issue of COVID-19 is a
good investment for effective preventive measures to flatten the curve.
Technology has always served as a tactical gadget for improving human lives.
Tencent, DiDi, Huawei and many other big tech companies are using their
supercomputers to fast-track the development of a vaccine. Tech startups are
also working closely along with clinicians, academics, and government entities
all over the world to activate tech because technology has the ability to underpin
the products and the services that human lives depend on every day. This is
hoped that we will soon solve the world’s greatest challenge and save lives
through new technology-based innovations and methods.
As HotDeskers, we feel it our utmost responsibility to spread awareness, and
take practical measures to support life. By using our wit and consciousness, and
taking our responsibility to follow corona precautionary measures, we will
definitely slow down the destruction and heal our planet.
https://www.hotdesk.pk/contact-us
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Author Isma Tariq
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