Waging a high-tech war on COVID-19

Though the worst-affected and the country from where the COVID-19 outbreak started, China has been waging a war on the virus using high-end technology. While South Korea is setting new standards for rapidly testing suspects, Singapore has proven that its operational strategy is the best.

Hyderabad: With the COVID-19 outbreak wreaking havoc across the globe, China and South Korea are standing as the best examples in handling the pandemic, by extensively using technology to contain the pandemic.

Singapore's 'preparedness'

China is waging almost a major war on the Corona pestilence. It is bringing all its energy, technology and medical teams together, to fight on a large scale. Likewise, Singapore is blocking deaths with the best possible secured operations. South Korea is setting new standards for rapidly testing suspects. The war that these countries have been waging on Coronavirus is ideal for many other countries across the world.

China's Technical Arm

In China, specialists and doctors are working round the clock, with the help of advanced technology for faster diagnosis of Coronavirus, within hours of complaint, instead of going on for days. They have been using technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robots, Apps, Drones, newer machine tools and mobile internet services.

Unique Apps

• A popular e-commerce company in Hangzhou, China has been informing the citizens through an App, on information of the status of the infection in over 200 cities to which people generally travel to, in terms of coloured maps. The app has over 20 crore users and they are informed by a green coloured map, as to the safety and non-infected areas on the map, to which they had travelled and can stay without fear of being any carriers of the infection. However, if the areas to which they have travelled is indicated in Yellow, it should be noted that they do not move around for at least seven days.

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• Covid-19 App has been introduced in China by the government. While surveying through the citizens, if they have co-travelled with any of the infected personnel, the App stores the info as to the details of the route, city, mode of transport etc., so that the same can be used to take precautionary measures.
• Although the schools are closed, students are still learning lessons through live streaming apps.

Collaborating with e-Commerce Giants

Leading food delivery apps, and e-commerce giants like Alibaba have set up driver-less vehicles so that Hospitals and areas with quarantined patients can be sent goods and food for their survival.

Services of Communist Workers

The Communist Party of China has billions of members. Almost all of the 1.20 crore people in Wuhan are staying in their homes while these party workers take care that food is being served at their home.

Artificial Intelligence, Robots, Drones

• A Beijing-based company is using Artificial Intelligence to reporting temperatures in areas where thousands are gathering. Two AI companies have arranged for the police to provide information about people who are not using masks in offices and public areas. Officials are mobilizing people through drones equipped with loudspeakers.

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• Robots, smart helmets, thermal cameras fitted to the drones, face identification cameras use sophisticated software. Wearing a smart helmet will alert the user if anyone within a radius of 5 meters has any fever.

Telecom Services

Chinese technology companies and mobile operators have always provided consumer information to the authorities and the police. This has enabled the government to identify more cases. For example, if the owner of a noodles shop in Wen Zhou is found to be infected, telephone companies will contact the relevant authorities and provide them with phone data of 3,000 people who visited the shop.

Best Strategy

Singapore is the country with the highest number of infections, with tourists coming from over 100 countries around the world. It is interesting to note the strategy through which the virus infection is being controlled. The government went into action shortly after it was discovered on January 23 that Corona had infected an elderly man (66) from Wuhan in Singapore.

The government immediately announced an Orange Alert. This is less than a red alert. Schools, mass ceremonies, large scale dinners, huge gatherings, and Chinese New Year celebrations were all stalled, to avoid the spread of the virus.

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Government has set up its own public WhatsApp groups and explained the precautionary measures to be taken instead of falling prey to various rumors.

Government employees are tested and detected for virus infections, from time to time. Flights from China were halted. Travels to and fro China are banned. Regular inspections of air, naval and road transport were started. Quarantine is made mandatory for those who come from affected countries.

Controlling SKorea's death toll

With a population of over 5 million citizens in South Korea, nearly 8,000 newly infected cases were detected out of which around 67 people lost their lives. The global mortality rate is 3.4 per cent, and less than 1 per cent in South Korea.

The South Korean strategy is to diagnose the affected case within 6 hours and start treatment immediately.

Approximately 20,000 suspects are being tested daily. Across the country in the public, private laboratories and a 24/7 network was set up. This network has become the key to saving lives. The testing kits are available to test over 140,000 samples a week. These can detect the virus with a 98 per cent accuracy.

This is how the deadly virus is being handled across the world, with proper usage of various technologies.

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