Context:

• Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked people to share technology-driven solutions for coronavirus. MyGov, the nation’s citizen engagement platform, invited innovative solutions, Bioinformatics, datasets and Apps for diagnosis that can be leveraged for strengthening the fight against covid-19.

Digital Solutions for combating COVID-19:

• Various nations are prodding the industries and academic institutions to look into digital space for solutions to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
• The European Commission has called for startups and SMEs with innovative solutions to tackle Coronavirus outbreak
• Software experts and individuals are contributing their ideas through social media spaces like twitter and facebook.
• On its way for crowdsourcing of ideas, mygov.in has invited innovative solutions from the citizens.

Technologies used in tacking COVID-19:

• Using Data Visualization:
• Throughout the world, datasets from various sources are used for data visualization.
• This includes open source datasets.
• Helps in tracking, surveillance and monitoring of the progress.
• Using GPS:
• GPS aided locationing is used for finding the nearest medical facilities
• The data can also be used for tracing the travel route of affected persons.
• Telemedicine:
• Using internet and the available Artificial Intelligence, the governments and the private players can provide online diagnosis
• This can reduce the pressure on existing healthcare facilities
• It can also avoid human interference and thereby reducing the spread.
• Teleconferencing:
• Recently, PM Narendra Modi used Teleconferencing to interact with SAARC leaders on combating the COVID-19.
• Such methods shall be used by leaders and professionals to reduce human to human contacts.
• Smartphones and Apps:
• Apps can be used to track patients post-treatment – it can be used to track their future travels, and their contacts.
• This helps in monitoring of patients for re-emergence of the infection.
• Smart Devices like smart watches, which can monitor body temperature can be used for monitoring patients.
• Internet and Social media:
• Internet has made way for the workers from certain sectors to work from home
• Internet and social media giving real-time information about the global happenings, reduce the fear among the people and also help in spreading awareness about the infection.
• E- Commerce platform:
• This helps to reduce social interaction without affecting the daily life of the people.
• With options like no contact delivery, online platforms provide essentials like masks, sanitizers to the people at their doorsteps.
• Digital transactions:
• Recently, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, asked the customers to use digital banking facilities as far as possible.
• According to a research by Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), an average Indian currency note roughly has Eukaryotic species such as fungi (70%), bacterial populations (9%) and viruses (<1%).

Measures taken by Governments:

• The Singapore government has used digital datasets to identify the infected persons and persons who are prone to potential risk.
• Taiwan being  technology positive has effectively controlled the spread using the technology.
• China uses Online diagnosis services, digital maps of qualified clinics, social media awareness programmes and e-commerce platforms to control the outbreak.
• India harnessed the power of the telecom sector, by using the Caller tunes as medium to spread awareness about COVID-19.

Technology and Concerns for India:

• Unlike Singapore and Taiwan, India’s population is much larger and is spread over a wide area
• India doesn’t have uniform data collection in place
• Digital illiteracy is much larger in India, particularly among the COVID vulnerable old age populations.
• The internet infrastructure though robust may have difficulties due to increased traffic in case of large numbers of self-quarantines.
• Indian government has to largely depend on private players for digital technologies like testing kits.
• There is a fear among the citizens that the disease surveillance datasets used by the government can be used for other political motives like NPR and CAA as well.
• Disease surveillance is dependent on real-time, good quality data that can be shared to support analysis, modelling and forecasting.
• India needs a decentralised mode of data collection and surveillance to tackle COVID-19 efficiently. Data used for surveillance purposes should respect the privacy of the individuals concerned. It requires a mutual Government – citizen trust, to tackle the pandemics effectively.