By Nirupam Bajpai, John Biberman and Manisha Wadhwa (Centre for Sustainable Development)
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has emerged as one of the key players in fighting the COVID-19 situation in India. The unprecedented crisis due to COVID-19 has accelerated the process of digitalization of many services and businesses including healthcare services, education, online delivery of goods and services, online payments, and work from home. Digital technologies are playing a key role in keeping our societies functional in this time of lockdowns and quarantines. The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled everyone to take a digital approach to being an employee, friend, or family member.
The latest ICT tools are offering a plethora of solutions to every aspect of the response to the pandemic, particularly identification, isolation, contact tracing, and treatment. Mobile and web technology is helpful for spreading awareness about COVID-19, facilitating contact tracing, notifying individuals who have come in close proximity to suspected carriers, tracking COVID-19 suspects in quarantine, real time tracking of crowds, remote monitoring of COVID-19 patients and much more. Drones are being used for enforcing strict quarantine and social distancing and for disinfection purposes. Robots are helping treat COVID-19 patients and sanitizing COVID-19 wards. Telemedicine is providing solutions for e-health checkups. Big data and Artificial Intelligence is being used for Research and Development (R&D) purposes.
GoK Direct – Kerala
Gok Direct Kerala app is a joint initiative by the Government of Kerala and Qkopy (a local social communication platform). The app is available in multiple languages- English, Hindi, Malayalam, and Bengali. The app is designed to generate awareness and disseminate credible information related to COVID-19. It provides users access to useful information like quarantine protocols, guidelines related to travel and general tips on safety. The app settings provide users facility to enable WHO alerts as well.
Some of the innovative technologies to contain the virus are being pilot tested in many states in India.
• Milagrow HumanTech have launched ‘Milagrow iMap 9. Milagrow iMap 9 is a robot designed for floor disinfection purposes which can navigate and sanitize floors without any human involvement(Press Trust of India 2020d). Milagrow iMap 9 is being pilot tested at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
• Garuda Aerospace, a Chennai based start up, has developed an automated disinfecting Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) called “Corona-Killer 100” (a disinfectant spraying drone). 10 Garuda Aerospace has deployed 300 “Corona-Killer 100” drones for disinfection purposes across 26 cities in India.
Test Yourself is built by Innovaccer,Inc., a healthcare technology company based in San Francisco. It is currently being used in two Indian states – Goa (Test Yourself Goa) and Karnataka (Test Yourself Karnataka)(Mitter 2020). The app assists citizens in carrying out a self assessment test for COVID-19. The app provides a platform for users to undertake a survey related to COVID-19 symptoms. Based on the results, the app guides users through appropriate next steps without having to physically visit the healthcare centre. The app also provides guidelines related to quarantine, use of face masks, list of nearby health centres, advisories related to social distancing and information on transportation to isolation wards. The app is available in four languages: English, Hindi, Konkani and Tamil.
