Use of Technology during Covid-19 Pandemic - 100-150 words
Answers
Explanation:
Epidemics and pandemics have been threatening the human race time and again. SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and more have shown their teeth in the past, but with each such outbreak, we are learning new ways of fighting and managing such unexpected diseases that can potentially kill millions of people. Technology cannot prevent the onset of the pandemics; however, it can help prevent the spread, educate, warn, and empower those on the ground to be aware of the situation, and noticeably lessen the impact. Today, with converging technologies like mobile, cloud, analytics, robotics, AI/ML, 4G/5G, and high-speed internet, it has become possible to test several innovative approaches to pandemic response. Here, we have listed eight such areas where technology play a vital role:
Fighting misinformation
Misinformation about the number of fatalities, diagnosis and treatment options, vaccines, medicines, government policies, etc., creates more panic and anxiety among the population. The result can be widespread chaos, panic buying, hoarding of essential commodities, price rise, violence on the streets, discrimination, conspiracy theories, and so on. In order to reduce false information, companies like Google, Facebook, and YouTube are working tirelessly to guide people to the right, verifiable information such as that published by WHO or local authorities and government. By making accurate information available to everybody, a transparent scenario can be created and the people can be informed about the right steps to take.
Facebook and Google unite to help NHS fight fake Coronavirus news
Finding Drugs
When a new pandemic strikes, the first question on everybody’s mind is if there’s a drug to cure it or a vaccine to prevent it. The world is now desperate to find ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus and to find an effective treatment. Technology is becoming an enabler to make the process faster. AI is playing important role in suggesting components of a vaccine by understanding viral protein structures, and helping medical researchers scour tens of heaps of relevant research papers at an unprecedented pace. Teams at the Allen Institute for AI, Google DeepMind have created AI tools, shared data sets and research results. In January, Google DeepMind introduced AlphaFold, a cutting-edge system that predicts the 3D structure of a protein based on its genetic sequence. The University of Texas at Austin and the National Institutes of Health used a popular biology technique to create the first 3D atomic scale map of the part of the virus that attaches to and infects human cells—the spike protein.
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The long lockdown for the COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools, colleges and other educational institutions and ushered in the citywide classroom: tens of thousands of students in cities and towns are glued to computers and smartphone screens as teachers take to online apps for lectures, tutorials and assessments.
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