Combating COVID-19 Pandemic with Data Science Technology and Artificial Intelligence
The world is facing a crisis! What happened in late 2019 was a major disaster which has quickly turned into an excruciating series of unfortunate events. An infection that took a shape of an outbreak and further turned into a pandemic could have been stopped right at its initial stages. Let’s not look back and evaluate the current situation. The country which documented the first ever case of the novel strain of Coronavirus is now reporting zero number of new cases.
The real question here is how did they do it?
And the answer is- implementation of integrated solutions from medical, artificial intelligence and data science technology.
The global pandemic caused by the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is being dealt with every possible measure. The best measure in the present situation is to contain the virus and prevent its further spread. China is the country that we mentioned above if you didn’t catch that. They were able to gain control over the situation due to extreme preventive measures that majorly comprised of medical, data science technology and artificial intelligence. Major tech companies all over the world are working side by side, generating and sharing their tech with one another to attain total global recovery.
Based on the role of data science technology and artificial intelligence in the latest anti-CoV-2 measures, here are the top 10 ways by which the world can combat COVID-19 pandemic.
AI tracking based on data acquisition
Data acquisition is the process of sampling physical conditions and converting them into digital data that can be analysed further. For mapping the evolution of CoV-2, data acquisition proves to be the best alternative. It includes tracking the virus origins and reports of its possible mutated versions. Tracking is the best way to make our combat against the virus more effective.
This could be done with the help of Artificial Intelligence to gather and analyse reported cases on social media channels, news reports and other platforms. Government data and documents feed enough information to the AI system to be able to detect any possibility of an outbreak.
AI systems have been efficient and reliable source for detecting virulence of Coronavirus, the novel strain is no exception. Various schools and hospitals in China have recently been thoroughly cleared off the virus through AI technology.
The Canadian AI start up BlueDot has marked its name for tracking the disease risks way before anyone else.
Identification through data analysis
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Tracking the infected provides enough support for moving on to the next step which is to identify the affected individuals. The listed individuals sorted out on the basis of data acquisition system are detected via AI softwares for COVID related symptoms.
Recent reports from China have suggested no new cases of COVID-19. This has made possible because of the AI tech the country possesses to identify and track he virus. The surveillance system in China have been upgraded with facial recognition tech to identify people with high temperature, fever or other dormant signs of infection.
Even with the growing rate of infection worldwide, many people have been observed to be non-cooperative of getting tested. The AI tech is most useful in such cases and can even identify those who might be more susceptible to the virus.
In china itself, smart helmets have been introduced for the authorities to detect noticeable increase in body temperature of listed individuals.
AI tech uses machine learning and natural language processing to filter out relevant information from millions of resources such as online media, health reports, international ticketing data and population enumeration. The data are well documented and processed for further analysis.
Other countries should too follow the protocol China is following. The results speak for itself. AI enumeration is the best option for combating the current crisis.
Prognostication
Once the infection rate has been detected and identified, the next step is to alert the mass of the stats. This was the mistake that the Wuhan authorities regrettably committed in the initial days of the outbreak. Since time can’t be bent backwards, the wise option is not to repeat the mistake.
AI systems have incorporated effective means to reach every door for forecasting of a possible outbreak. If an area is on high risk of contracting the virus, its inhabitants should be alerted to remain indoors.
Recently, a petition is circulating around to kill the Corona by doing nothing! Which means to keep away from people, making the virus incapable of finding new hosts. Such public service announcements are crucial for general awareness. Prevention is the best cure, and in this case it really is!
Diagnostic measures
Diagnosis is the most crucial step followed by identification of symptoms. You cannot be sure whether it is the seasonal flu or the novel Coronavirus based on the symptoms alone. A proper diagnosis is mandatory to be completely sure. The Artificial intelligence company Infervision have launched a Coronavirus AI solution that will provide aid to the front-line healthcare workers for making efficient diagnosis of COVID-19.
Other AI companies such as Bluedot, Baidu, Deepmind, Nanox and many others have developed and implemented efficient diagnostic measures against the viral pandemic. The scope is vast and highly effective, as early diagnosis is favourable in any case.
Monitoring
AI monitoring systems developed by many companies are the modish addition that the world needs right now. A monitoring system developed by China, called the Health code detects and monitors the subject individuals based on:
- International travelling history
- Time spent in affected regions
- Rate of social contact post the outbreak
- Risk level of getting infected by those people who are infected but showing no signs and symptoms
This is done to assess the level of risk an individual is exposed to.
Although gradually the situation of quarantine is being lifted from various regions in China, but in order to stay alert the Chinese people are being assigned color codes. These codes comprise of red, yellow and green color for signifying level of risk. Such codes can be accessed via mobile Apps such as WeChat. This will simply allow people to either stay quarantined or go out to safe zones.
Food and medical supply delivery
In India, the basic necessities such as food and medicines are regularly being supplied to the public. Living under indefinite quarantine is tough but can be managed if there is no dearth of supplies. Talking about delivery to most susceptible areas, AI robots and drones are the best options.
The food and medical supply delivery via androids minimizes risk of infection spread and is the fastest way to get people well replenished.
Terra Drone Corporation have been sending their aerial vehicles for the same purpose. They are also efficient scouts for keeping public watch and detecting non-compliant individuals through thermal imaging system.
The implementation of robotic technology is crucial in these times. The Robots are programmed to accomplish tasks with no human interaction involved, hence they act as the perfect health inspectors in these times. They can perform various tasks such as sterilization, disinfection and delivery of necessary items to people.
Blue Ocean Robotics have deployed UVD robots for sterilization of pathogens via UV lights.
Development of antiviral drugs
AI algorithms implemented by various AI companies were able to understand the virology of CoV-2 and distinguish the complications of its genetic makeup from other members of its family. Such findings are published and circulated via digital tech to others to facilitate the quest of finding permanent treatment for the disease.
DeepMind, Benevolent AI are among many of such competent companies that are working day and night for the betterment of humankind.
Potential drugs are being developed for fighting against the virus. The AI system has ultimate applications for this cause with positive outcomes.
Manufacturing of anti-pathogen protective gears
Nowadays, the healthcare industry is busier than ever! The ones at the medical centres are the most susceptible to the virus than anybody else. Protective measures are getting upgraded for enhanced protection. The startup AI company Sonovia is working on manufacturing of nano-particle based anti-pathogenic face masks that will ease working tasks for healthcare systems.
Handeling patient-healthcare interactions
Amid Coronavirus pandemic, it is best to limit or halt face to face social interactions. The healthcare industry is one of the few which has no say in this for obvious reasons. Other sectors are however being provided with the AI solutions to reduce physical interactions. Although many financial companies are taking care of dealing with patient-hospital interactions for health claims. The AI enabled system speeds up the process and make things easier and safer for patients and hospital staff.
Finding a cure!
Almost every medical research company in the world is assigned with the task of developing a cure for COVID-19.
Various tech companies also are using their computational resources to analyze and develop a cure. Huawei, Tencent, DiDi have provided supercomputers for working on a vaccine for CoV-2. This speeds up the progress in finding a cure for the pandemic with permanent solutions.
With the sustainable and combined efforts of medical research and Artificial Intelligence, an infection-free world will soon arise. All it takes is more patience and perseverance to get complete riddance of the virus. Not to forget, total compliance from all of us is the core of our mission.
Stay safe, stay sane!
