Developing Technologies

As of December 2020, about a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world recorded almost 70 million cases and more than 1.5 million deaths. With cases and fatalities still on the rise, health authorities desperately continue to search for solutions to mitigate the effects of the virus. With only a preliminary vaccine in development and no known cure, technology has become a critical tool for governments, international health authorities, and society at large. Technology is being used to form a strong collective response to and attacking this global crisis.

Since late 2019, there has been an increased reliance on technology to receive real-time reliable data and information, medical orientations, training, Artificial Intelligent Chat Bot Systems, and Telemedicine. Scientists have heightened the focus on gene editing and nanotechnologies to help develop a treatment. 3D printing is also being used to meet the increased demand for medical hardware such as ventilators, facemasks, while telehealth is being used to manage the influx of patients into overcrowded health care facilities; a so far non-exhaustive list.

The World Health Organization

Having acknowledged the need for collaboration and technological advantages, the World Health Organization (WHO) has partnered with some of the world’s leading tech companies as part of its response strategy. According to Bernardo Mariano Junior, director of  WHO’s Department of Digital Health and Innovation, “The world needs to be well prepared and united in the spirit of shared responsibility, to digitally detect, protect, respond, and prepare the recovery for COVID-19. No single entity or country initiative will be sufficient. We need everyone.”

Data Analysis via Supercomputers

The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), along with a global consortium has given researchers remote access to their Frontera and Stampede supercomputers. This aids in working on COVID-19 research pertaining to epidemiology and vaccines. Conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, one of the projects specifically investigates the impact of social distancing measures to aid in policy decision making.

Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technologies, primarily used for payments and money transfers, are now being used to effectively manage medical data and the supply of medical materials, and to facilitate real-time communication with the public. As early as February 2020, twenty new blockchain applications were launched in China to address the outbreak. This enabled improved communication amongst governmental organizations, health authorities, NGOs, etc. The use of blockchain technology has also improved diagnostic accuracy, medical treatment, case contact tracing efficiency, detection of virus symptom patterns through its automized platform.

Drone Technology

Given the urgency of a COVID case, the demand for many medical supplies is continually increasing. Drones are being used to quicken and improve the transport of medical test kits and supplies. Additionally, in countries such as China and South Korea, drones are being used to spray disinfecting chemicals in public spaces, as well as leveraging various imaging technology as a means of detecting persons who are exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Epidemic prevention vehicles supplementing these efforts by traveling into known infected areas.

Robotics

Robotics is being used to check temperatures in public spaces and distribute disinfectants without human contact. In cities such as Wuhan China, robots have been employed to take vital signs, distribute medication and even provide entertainment to isolated patients in smart hospitals, significantly reducing the need for human contact.

Open-Source Technologies

International health organizations, such as the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, have facilitated the development of large repositories and information technology platforms. Such repositories are being used for data sharing. This increase in the number and availability of bottom-up, open-source projects and open-data initiatives has improved accessibility to data and scientific publications to health care professionals.

Telehealth Technology

The COVID pandemic has caused significant strain on the health care system, especially in methods of delivery. Telehealth technologies have been used as a cost-effective filter to separate moderate and severe cases. This helps to manage the influx of patients into have already overcrowded hospitals. Via audiovisual, real-time interactive communication channels, hospitals have been able to better hold open spaces for confirmed COVID-19 cases. They have also been able to reduce transmission rates and make expert infectious disease specialists available to persons in otherwise inaccessible regions.

To conclude, while the pandemic has triggered significantly unprecedented demand for digital health solutions, health authorities and leading tech companies have been able to collaborate to fight the COVID pandemic. Technologies with other purposes such as blockchain and robotics have been altered in order to enhance medical services to tackle this emergency. Therefore, while this acceleration in medical technology was catalyzed by such a tragic event as a pandemic, health care systems worldwide are likely to be forever transformed. Due to its increased efficiency, soon technology will be integrated into the first responses of global leaders to potential crises.

–Rebecca Harris

Photo: Flickr