Can technological advancements help to alleviate COVID-19 pandemic? a review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing, and the innovative and efficient contributions of the emerging modern technologies to the pandemic responses are too early and cannot be completely quantified at this moment. Digital technologies are not a final solution but are the tools that facilitate a quick and effective pandemic response. In accordance, mobile applications, robots and drones, social media platforms (such as search engines, Twitter, and Facebook), television, and associated technologies deployed in tackling the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak are discussed adequately, emphasizing the current-state-of-art. A collective discussion on reported literature, press releases, and organizational claims are reviewed. This review addresses and highlights how these effective modern technological solutions can aid in healthcare (involving contact tracing, real-time isolation monitoring/screening, disinfection, quarantine enforcement, syndromic surveillance, and mental health), communication (involving remote assistance, information sharing, and communication support), logistics, tourism, and hospitality. The study discusses the benefits of these digital technologies in curtailing the pandemic and ‘how’ the different sectors adapted to these in a shorter period. Social media and television’s role in ensuring global connectivity and serving as a common platform to share authentic information among the general public were summarized. The World Health Organization and Governments’ role globally in-line with the prevention of propagation of false news, spreading awareness, and diminishing the severity of the COVID-19 was discussed. Furthermore, this collective review is helpful to investigators, health departments, Government organizations, and policymakers alike to facilitate a quick and effective pandemic response.

Intention-Based Critical Factors Affecting Willingness to Adopt Novel Coronavirus Prevention in Pakistan: Implications for Future Pandemics

“…As a rule of thumb, a magnitude no less than 0.25 has been proposed to be an average score, whereas a magnitude below 0.13 is insufficient to pass this criterion in the behavioral sciences. In contrast, the badness of outcome is exhibited by any score less than or equal to 0.03 [ 48 ]. In the present case, the R-square value is 0.807, which is well above 0.25, satisfying the path model’s first criterion ( Table 5 ).…”

“…Intawong et al [ 47 ] studied the role of application technology in Thailand in helping the COVID-19 patients and high-risk individuals to discover their disease symptoms through quick tracking strategies. In another work, Thomas et al [ 48 ] assessed the role of technologies in facilitating the prevention of pandemics worldwide. To this end, social media, artificial intelligence, and other digital technologies helped to promote the ease of pandemic prevention.…”

Unbundling the significance of cognitive robots and drones deployed to tackle COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review to unpack emerging opportunities to improve healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa

“…For instance, drones equipped with autonomous thermal cameras and face recognition software may pose privacy issues such as over surveillance [71] . Personal data collected with Unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones can lead to a privacy breach [72] .…”

The Effect of COVID-19 on Airline Transportation Services: A Study on Service Robot Usage Intention

“…Several countries have found that new technologies, such as mobile applications, robots, and drones, can minimize human contact. Communicated diseases, such as influenza, herpes, or Ebola, are being held at bay by systems such as teleoperation, autonomous service robots, face recognition, and thermal scanning [2]. According to experts, future robots that are not susceptible to infection and that can be effectively disinfected will be highly important in the struggle against the next pandemic [1].…”

“…One can think of security robots, restaurant cooking robots, robot luggage handlers, travel agents, and receptionists, or concierge robots, as examples of this concept [10]. Because these drones are rugged and flexible, they are frequently used in various industries, such as travel, healthcare, disinfection, and logistics, for screening and monitoring in order to minimize the likelihood of a resurgence of the infection known as COVID-19 [2].…”