According to the 22nd April’s situation report of the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2545056 people have been infected and 175064 have died due to the novel coronavirus. The clock is ticking and healthcare professionals as well as technology experts have already set off to eradicate this turmoil. There is no doubt that AI in healthcare has become a firewall against this deadly pandemic. But how it is helping, let’s explore!
AI-powered diagnosis system
Infervision, an AI company landed a solution that assists healthcare workers to detect as well as monitor the virus. It enhances the CT diagnosis speed. Apart from this, Alibaba, one of the prominent Chinese e-commerce companies have also built a solution that claims to diagnose the virus within seconds.
Use of fever detectors
Thermal cameras based on multisensory technology are being used in public places like hospitals, airports, etc. This technology detects if an individual is having a fever or wearing a face mask. It also recognizes the faces along with tracking the movements of individuals.
Disease surveillance
Early warnings can be provided by keeping an eye on news reports and social media platforms. Now, AI is being used for identifying, tracking and forecasting outbreaks! At the end of December 2019, Canadian startup BlueDot predicted this outbreak. In fact, it warned about the virus days before the U.S. CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and WHO (World Health Organization) declared it as a crisis.
AI in healthcare is giving early signs to frontline professionals so that infectious patients can be quarantine quickly.
Deployment of robots
In China, Pudu Technology is helping the healthcare sector by deploying its robots in more than forty hospitals. These robots are being utilized to clean, sterilize and deliver medicine and food to the patients. This reduces human-to-human contact and keeps healthcare workers away from the risks of getting infected.
Chatbots as healthcare assistants
With the increase in COVID-19 cases, queries for health issues have also increased. So, virtual healthcare assistants come to rescue healthcare workers. Now, chatbots are answering questions, providing reliable information and guidelines to the people. Moreover, it advises individuals if they should see a doctor or self-isolate themselves.
Development of drugs
There is no definitive cure yet! But Google’s AI company, DeepMind, is using the latest AI algorithms to create structure modules of proteins, which can uncover the science behind this virus. Though the results are not verified, they are stepping in the right direction.
AI in healthcare has certainly aided much in getting a hold on this global pandemic. The world is fighting with this virulent disease but with the efforts of healthcare workers and AI technology, we will be able to draw the best solution soon.