The Story of China’s Recovery Through Technology
Today, the world is battling against Coronavirus, with Europe being one among the worst-affected. However, in China, there has been a remarkable drop in positive cases.
Hubei province, the place where the virus originated has recorded fewer cases in the past couple of days. Shops have reopened and life is gradually getting back to normal.
One of the most prominent steps that China had taken since the identification of the first case, was to quarantine almost 60 million people. This helped in slowing down the spread of the virus outside Hubei.
The role of technology in China’s recovery is indeed commendable. China has made use of its technological developments to support their efforts. A new COVID-19 app that tells people whether they have been in close contact with anyone confirmed infected, based on flight and train records was developed. A government-run close contact detector platform helped companies to check if their employees had been in contact with infected people. Telecom operators shared location data to help in tracing the infected people.
Furthermore, even AI technologies like Face++, Baidu and SenseTime played a major role in controlling the outbreak. Face++ developed a temperature screening tool that could screen thousands of people in crowded places. Baidu and FaceTime have been helping the police identify the people who were not wearing masks in public places and offices.
The power of technology was not just limited to these. Drones were deployed In northwestern Yinchuan to remind residents to keep a distance from each other, wear masks and use sanitizers. In order to prevent a negative impact on education during this period of uncertainty, classes were continued through live-streaming apps.
The initiatives taken by food delivery apps were quite notable. Delivery workers made sure to deliver essentials on a daily basis. “Contactless” deliveries to hospitals and high-risk areas were made possible.
Most temporary hospitals that were set up for the treatment of Covid-19 patients are now closing down. The last patient in the temporary hospital for Covid patients in Wuhan has returned home. A picture of Dr.Jiang Wenyang lying on one of the empty beds after the last patient left the hospital was released as a symbol of survival.
Though the fight is far from over, it is evident that the positive difference in China is not because of one entity but a result of the collective efforts of everyone which is a real lesson for others to look up to.
