When it comes to infectious diseases, prevention and vigilance with swift-response efforts can go a long way in slowing or stalling outbreaks. When a pandemic such as the recent CoronVairus outbreak happens, it can create huge pressure for the government and public health officials to gather information quickly and coordinate a response related to the information. 

Artificial Intelligence or AI can play an influential role in the prediction of the outbreak and further stalling its spread.

Epidemics and infectious diseases need a rapid-response system to ensure that it doesn’t lead to a global outbreak. We understand this, yet the CoronaVirus Pandemic has wreaked havoc everywhere. Scientists and the world over people are looking at how to fight Covid-19.  When an outbreak such as this happens so quickly, it literally brings with it huge challenges not just for the government but also for public health officials to gather information and make an informed response mechanism system. 

There is a panic setting in the entire world but Coronavirus is not as deadly as people are making it out to be. What we truly need to panic about is the manner it is spreading and invoke hard measures for social distancing because if we don’t then it can put huge pressure on the medical system and the entire para-medical team.  

Governments all over the world especially Italy are scrambling here and there to contain the spread implying that they need solutions now. In such a situation Artificial Intelligence can do a world of good in predicting the outbreak and also stalling its spread. This article intends to discuss How AI can help fight Corona despite a not so wholesome replication of human intelligence. Yet, they have proven to be extremely helpful in detecting and tracking the outbreak, assisting in diagnosing the infected patients and predominantly speeding up the process of how to fight Corona by finding the cure. 

Talking about arms and ammunition in fighting wars, AI and its components like ML and data science can go a long way in proving to be effective weapons against it. 

Are you completely aware of COVID-19 is and its related information? Our article on Corona pandemic will help you keep informed. 

Technology can be a life-saver

With the mayhem surrounding COVID-19, AI and data science techniques have already been put to use to overcome this glaring challenge. A robust team of global researchers is continuously deploying new vaccinations in order to determine the hotspots for the spread of the disease. The scientific breakthroughs in chunks are being reported to WHO to strategize further for quarantine measures and prevention. 

On December 31’ st, 2019, an AI intelligence warning system which was run by BlueDot a Toronto-based startup had reportedly flagged a report from China about cryptic pneumonia in Wuhan which is infamous for its wet market. The entire AI system filters and sifts through thousands of articles in multiple languages which helped it report this mysterious outbreak to the employees. The smart employees could then relate this to the deadly SARS outbreak in 2003 and immediately found the similarities. 

Ever since the first case of COVID-10 was reported in Wuhan, China, it has spread to 197 other nations. China has massively controlled the situation by leaning on its adept technology mechanisms specifically AI, data science and other technology to not just track but also slowly venturing towards breaking the chain. In fact, Wuhan is now gearing up to begin schools with the help of technology and IT- powerhouses. Learning from its example we would like to take you through the journey of how AI can help to fight Corona and how IT companies fighting Corona are gearing up their system to defeat the situation. 

10 ways AI can help to fight Corona

1. AI can detect Corona or an epidemic

The different AI-based algorithms can easily sift through a goldmine of information and online content defying geographical boundaries. This can go a long way in the AI system to catch anomalies before it reaches and becomes an epidemic or a pandemic. This outbreak also has presented a wonderful example of its use wherein scientific researchers used AI to study flight travelers’ data to predict where the novel virus can come next.

According to a National Geographic report, continuous monitoring of the internet and social media sources can go a long way in detecting the nascent stages of the spread.  If the predictive modeling is successfully implemented it will be a major leap in the fight against not just COVID-19 but other infectious diseases. Big Data analytics can help in decentralizing the entire process and ensure the timely evaluation of the data set generated with IoT and other real-time devices. 

2. AI can diagnose Corona

After detecting possible cases, it is also important to diagnose and monitor the disease by the front-line healthcare workers. Infervision which is a dedicated AI company had indeed launched an AI- solution for the same purpose. The virus has created a mountain of work-pressure especially the imaging departments that have the pressure to test cases. AI-based solutions help in improving CT scan speed. Alibaba too had built an AI-enabled diagnosis system which is about 96% perfect in diagnosing cases in a jiffy. 

3. AI can enhance medical care facilities for Corona

The researchers of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in association with Wuhan EndoAngel Medical technology and University of geosciences have registered a 95% accuracy on detecting the COVID-19 case through Chest scans. It was a deep-learning algorithm that was trained on 45,000 CT scans. AI’s performance can be compared to an expert radiologist without any doubt. 

4. Robots and robotic engineering to lead the fight against COVID-19 

We all know by now that social distancing is the only way to curb the spread of the virus. It is very important to reduce the rate of contact between infected patients and people who have escaped the contact. Many companies have used this as the base for their research to automate some procedures for interacting with patients.  China has surpassed expectations and is using drones and robots to perform contactless operations and to spray disinfectants in areas where the public frequent the most. There are other robots that are already checking for fever and other symptoms. Some are even dispensing sanitizer gels. 

Robots inside the hospitals are used to deliver food and medicine to patients. They have been programmed in a manner that requires minimal supervision reducing the staff required to run the facility. In order to reduce exposure of medical staff to infected people, Seattle is using robots to communicate and treat patients in isolation.

5. AI is accelerating the drug research process

All efforts to curb the situation is worth every praise, but the fight can only be successful when we can develop a vaccine that can immunize everyone against the virus. Developing an antidote or a vaccine is not an easy process as it is lengthy as well as expensive. This is where AI can help to fight Corona by speeding up the process. The well-known AI research lab, Deep Mind was taken over by Google in 2014. The spokesperson had recently announced that it used deep-learning methods to detect new information about protein structure connected to COVID-19. Hadn’t it been for AI this process could have taken many more months! Deep Mind has continuously engaged its intellectuals to encode the vaccine mystery. 

6. Better face masks

Sonovia, an Israeli startup has already started investing its efforts by bringing about face masks made from anti-bacterial fabric that will completely rely on metal-oxide nanoparticles. 

7. Installing the GIS technology

Geographical Information systems technology also has been identified as a great tool to contain the spread of the virus. John Hopkins University has spearheaded this and has a dashboard highlighting all the cases of Corona geographically as shown in the diagram below. 

Source: John Hopkins

Data mining is essential for this technology to work as it uses information from what people talk about. Social media sites are good information storehouses for GIS because technology maps can only be generated when people talk and discuss it. In accordance with the information so received prevention measures can be implemented. With AI, machine learning, data science, and GIS gaining insights have become simpler. 

8. AI can detect non-compliance

Unbelievably Sichuan province has ‘smart helmets’ to identify those people who might have a fever and are prone to the virus. There is also a monitoring system called health code in China that uses big data to ascertain the risk of contracting the disease based on their travel history, the time they have spent in hotspots for viruses and also the rate of exposure. 

9. Effective chatbot conversations

People can access free online health consultations through Tencent’s WeChat. Chatbot which is a prominent AI tool also has kept travelers updated on travel procedures and disruptions. 

10. Supercomputers working incessantly towards developing a vaccine

Many technology giants like Tencent and DiDi are researching with their supercomputers to fast-track the development of an antidote or a vaccine. The system has immense speed calculations and models that have proven to be miles faster than the standard computer processing system.

How to fight Corona?

Until vaccines are ready for production and use, it might be some time, but till then we at Chapter247 recommend every single being to follow these measures to fight Corona. 

• Wash your hands at regular levels with soap and water or with an alcohol-based rub to kill viruses.
  
• Maintain social distancing and this can be the true life-saver to break the chain of virus infection.
• Avoid touching your face as your hands might be contaminated by touching surfaces.
• It is also important to practice respiratory hygiene.
• If you have any symptoms, do not delay and seek medical care at the earliest.

How IT companies are fighting Corona – Measures they are taking

-Facebook employees are receiving full bonuses for 6 months as a measure     of Coronavirus assistance.

-Tableau has made John Hopkins data available on its Data resource.

-Amazon has collaborated with Bill Gate’s foundation to deliver test-kits.

-Microsoft also offers bots to understand the symptoms of COVID-19.

Source – AnalyticsIndiaMagazine

Hope for a better tomorrow

We believe that technology has indeed raced past everyone’s expectations by always delivering new possibilities for improvement. AI was often seen as a doomsday technology but with AI assisting researchers and companies in overcoming this huge crisis it seems that it is the other way round.

Hope for a better tomorrow is still fresh with so many ventures coming forward and taking care of the situation.

If you have any queries regarding developing AI based solutions to fight against COVID-19 then  we will help you in every possible way. Click Here!