The administration has announced they are now planning for a potential 18-month COVID-19 pandemic as the situation continues to evolve and the severity of the virus is becoming more apparent. Confirmed cases are doubling over short periods of time and forecasted projections are uncovering multiple waves of the virus are yet to come.
All this is leading to persistent updates on the virus becoming the norm for most of the public as angst across the globe continues to grow.
Many of the real-time updates are available as a result of artificial intelligence (AI) being leveraged in understanding the impact and severity of the virus. However, AI has several uses in supporting all areas of the fight against the pandemic and some of these have been outlined below.
- AI is assisting in detecting the spread of COVID-19 with predictive models forecasting where it is likely to be spreading to next and projecting likely number of cases and deaths.
- Researchers are deploying AI to better understand the Coronavirus. AI is mining through vast amounts of research and discover patterns and effective treatments.
- AI is helping to accurately diagnose the virus to detect and monitor patients with the virus.
- Doctors used a robot to treat the first person admitted to the hospital in the U.S with the Coronavirus. It also has additional uses in delivering food, medical supplies, etc.
- Chatbots also play a crucial role to support assessment and triage those who are experiencing symptoms to the correct level of care. It is also alleviating overburdened call centers in healthcare.
- There is an AI-powered mobile app that is performing at-home risk assessments to direct possible Coronavirus patients to a testing facility.
- Interactive maps are monitoring patterns and identifying relationships. Insights analyzing the outbreak are frequently being shared as further information is known.
This accelerated use of AI is enabling us all to learn so much more about the Coronavirus despite the short time period that is has been around. These insights allow us all to prepare, as best as possible, for the emergency that is unfolding. AI alone will not solve all answers and we will still need to work together as a population to do all that is in our individual power to slow the spread of the COVID-19 with actions that flatten the curve to support the healthcare system capacity.
We are all in this together. Please continue to take stay safe and to follow advised precautions.
