i n n o vat i o n s
Technologies that help fight the coronavirus In order to fight the coronavirus epidemic, health care systems take all possible measures, starting from quarantining patients, through closing schools, and ending with canceling mass events. What has also turned out to be helpful are new technologies, especially telemedicine, robotics and artificial intelligence. Here are a few examples. Telemedicine Airborne diseases quickly spread in densely populated areas. In the last few weeks, we have observed the spread of such a disease in a globalized world, where it can easily travel across borders, with more and more outbreaks. Not all countries are capable of taking as farreaching steps as China, where multi-million population centers have been isolated. Anyway, it also applies to the common cold and flu viruses, which are contracted by millions of people every year. According to the data gathered by the
16
OSOZ World 2020
World Health Organization, up to 5 million cases of the flu are reported around the world every year. 650,000 people die. Paradoxically, a sick patient going to a doctor’s appointment may infect several other people along the way, for example on public transportation or in the waiting room. In Wuhan, where health centers are literally besieged, the chances of getting to a doctor are severely limited. No wonder that the biggest telemedical platform, “Ping An Good Doctor� recorded a 10-fold increase in the number of users in the first weeks of the epidemic. The number of consultations has risen 9-fold
and in accordance with data published in mid-February, it has exceeded 1.1 billion visits. Obviously, determining whether we are dealing with the flu or the coronavirus requires testing in a medical center. Nevertheless, teleconsultations make it possible to initially assess the general condition of the patient and take the first steps. Moreover, if it is necessary, doctors from other regions of the world can be asked to handle such consultations whenever the health care system is burdened as extremely as is currently the case in Wuhan in China. In extreme cases, a patient with a suspected coronavi-
