Intro
The global COVID-19 pandemic badly affected the trade and commerce, education, and medical sectors. The medical community is focusing on this new problem. Consequently, hospitals have become breeding pools for the coronavirus. During all this chaos, technology has emerged as an essential tool, the use of which allows social distancing measures without compromising on operational functionality.
Technology and the Pandemic
Digital Screening
When the pandemic first broke out, affected countries employed the use of thermal cameras to analyze and check people’s temperatures quickly and efficiently. These cameras were not suitable for public places, though, which used infra-red thermometers instead. These also allowed quick screening and detection, though not as accurately as thermal cameras.
Contact Tracing
Countries like South Korea made use of CCTV footage, facial recognition, bank card records, and GPS systems from cars and mobile devices to keep track of infected persons. People who were in an area where the infection had broken out or who had come in contact with an infected person were notified and told to report to testing centers.
Tracking and Alerting
Quarantine and self-isolation are often imposed on travelers entering a country or on potential COVID-19 patients. Authorities have used GPS and other technologies, such as tracking devices and wristbands connected to the internet, to make sure that people in self-isolation do not breach limits. If they do so, authorities receive an alert, and violators are fined.
Entertainment
As parks, cinemas, clubs, and other forms of entertainment close down, people have taken to digital forms of entertainment to satisfy their boredom. Streaming services, such as Netflix, video sharing platforms, and the gaming industry have experienced a massive surge in users. Video sharing and e-sports have gained a large number of users because they offer the potential to generate monetary revenue. This substitutes if only partially for the millions who have become unemployed over the course of the pandemic.
Education and Communication
Many have been isolated from their loved ones, their workplaces, and their schools and universities as the pandemic progresses. The alarming rise in infections requires limiting contact between individuals. Naturally, this makes it difficult for the business and education sectors to stay afloat. Thankfully, the internet has made communication much easier. Through the use of digital applications such as Zoom and Skype, people have succeeded in bridging the physical gap between them through technology. This has helped reduce anxiety and depression as students can take classes, employees can start working from home, and isolated people can now meet with their loved ones.
Conclusion
The use of technology during the pandemic has helped to reduce mortality and infection rates. It has also proven crucial in ensuring that vital parts of our society, such as education and healthcare, can resume operations. Furthermore, technology has made it easier to maintain self-isolation and shun boredom, which might otherwise induce depression, anxiety, and possibly suicidal thoughts in a patient.
