From Jayadeva de Silva (SriLanka)

1. Innovations in Corona Control
The exponential growth of connectivity — and the access to the wealth
of data it offers — allows health officials to quickly track the spread of
disease, giving vulnerable populations vital information.
Facebook has generated maps that display population density,
demographics, and travel patterns, enabling researchers to decide where
to send supplies or how to mitigate an outbreak.
Similarly, Facebook, Google, and Twitter are working to identify
and eliminate misinformation about the coronavirus, directing users to
reliable sources at the CDC and WHO.
When SARS first broke out in late 2002, it took scientists more than a
year to sequence the genome of the virus. This time around, the genome
of Covid-19 was sequenced in less than a month after the first case was
identified.
Similarly, researchers developed the first diagnostic test for the virus
soon after the first public announcement was made about it. Veredus
Laboratories in Singapore has said the company will soon release a
“Lab-on-Chip” detection kit that can be purchased commercially. It will
allow patients to be tested for three kinds of coronavirus within two
hours.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also proven effective in advancing public
health. BlueDot, a Canadian company, uses AI to scan 100,000 online
articles in 65 different languages daily for public health information.
This approach was so effective that the company was able to alert clients
about the coronavirus before the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the World Health Organization alerted the public.
Health apps with chatbots are also using artificial intelligence to screen
people who are feverish and coughing and advise them whether they
should be evaluated for infection with the coronavirus.
Metabiota, another health tech company, offered early and accurate
analysis about the spread of Covid-19, predicting it would reach South

2. Korea, Japan, and Taiwan one week before it was reported inside their
borders. In years past, researchers used AI to predict Zika outbreaks and
to trace the insects that spread Chagas disease. By helping track and
contain the spread of disease, these technologies may someday stop
epidemics before they cross borders.
Innovation is also improving how we care for those people sickened by
infectious diseases. During the West African Ebola crisis, tech
innovations in protective gear for caregivers and smartphone thermal
imaging apps helped detect irregular body temperatures.
3M has responded to the coronavirus outbreak by increasing
production of technologically advanced face masks that, when combined
with good habits such as regular handwashing, can help protect travelers
and others vulnerable to the disease. Two Israeli startups are working
on washable, reusable masks embedded with antiviral and antibacterial
agents that could prove more effective than disposable masks.
Blockchain is an innovation that can help streamline medical supply
chains, ensuring that doctors and patients have access to the tools they
need when they need them and preventing contaminated items from
reaching stores.
As we’ve seen in the wake of natural disasters, drones can
deliver medical supplies to remote or quarantined areas. This could be
critical to controlling infections by keeping some health workers out of
hot zones. Drones can also move faster than ambulances in crowded,
urban areas.
Even teleworking, enabled by technology, can slow the spread of
infection. Some of China’s biggest tech companies, including Alibaba
and Baidu, instructed their employees to work from home after the
Lunar New Year. In earlier years, this would have ground business to a
halt. Thanks to technologic innovations, companies can continue to
work, their employees meeting virtually with international partners and
colleagues in a way that keeps everyone safe.
The growing possibilities of telemedicine will help patients get the care
they need, without putting doctors at risk. Remote patient monitoring
enables earlier — and more accurate — diagnoses. Remote care —

3. powered by 5G — is already being used for remote diagnosis of Covid-
19 in Wuhan, China, where doctors are already stretched thin.
In the U.S., one patient in Washington state is being treated for the
coronavirus by a robot named Vici, through which he communicates
with his care team. In China, a robot named Little Peanut transports
food to patients quarantined in a hotel. In one Chinese hospital, patients
hand over trash and bedsheets to robots.
Similarly, hospitals and airports are using technology to monitor patients
and disinfect facilities. BioSticker measures an individual’s temperature,
respiratory rate, heart rate, and coughing — the symptoms of
coronavirus — and can transmit updates every 10 minutes.
GermFalcon, a germ-killing robot with strategically placed ultraviolet-C
lamps, was developed to sanitize airplanes from most viruses on surfaces
and in the surrounding air.
These advances show the great things that can happen when medical
expertise and tech innovation are brought together. It’s the reason why
my organization, the Consumer Technology Association, has partnered
with the World Bank Group on the Global Tech Challenge. It calls on
tech companies around the globe to develop innovative solutions to the
world’s most pressing problems.
The coronavirus outbreak is one of many public health crises we will
face in the coming decade. But with the right minds on the job and
plenty of collaboration, we can create a world that’s up to the challenge
of meeting them.
Humantalents International