Modern Technologies in Education during this Pandemic Dr. A.Ajina ajinajaya@gmail.com What is Corona Viruses Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus known as COVID-19. COVID - 19 COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. COVID-19 is now a pandemic affecting many countries globally. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. History of Covid19 SARS‐CoV‐2 might have originated in animals, probably bats, and was transmitted to other animals before crossing into humans at the Huanan wet market in Wuhan City in December, 2019. A novel coronavirus was subsequently identified as the causative pathogen, provisionally named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) On December 31, 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) China Country Office that 27 cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. January 11 China reported its first known death from an illness caused by the new coronavirus. The patient was a 61year-old man in Wuhan with abdominal tumours and chronic liver disease. As of Jan 26, 2020, more than 2000 cases of 2019-nCoV infection have been confirmed, most of which involved people living in or visiting Wuhan, and human-to-human transmission has been confirmed. January 30 India's first novel coronavirus patient - a student studying at Wuhan University - was reported in Kerala's Thrissur district, as more than 7500 cases were reported in 20 countries of the world. January 31 India first airlifted citizens from China one month after the new disease was first reported February 03 Kerala government declared coronavirus a state calamity after two more cases were reported in Alappuzha and Kasaragod district. February 04 India canceled existing visas for Chinese and foreigners who had visited China in the last two weeks, the day after the death toll in China exceeded that of the 2002-03 SARS outbreak. February 11 WHO announced that the new coronavirus disease will be known by the official name of COVID-19. March 02 Two more cases were reported - a 45-year-old man in Delhi who had travelled back from Italy and a 24-year-old engineer in Hyderabad who had a travel history from Dubai. March 11 The World Health Organization declared that the "COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic," which is defined as the spread of a new disease worldwide, for which most people don't have immunity. March 12 India reported it's first death after a 76-year-old man from Kalburgi, Karnataka became the first victim of the virus in the country. March 28 India reported more than 1000 confirmed cases, three days after the nationwide lockdown. Cases double every five days. June 08 Phased reopening begins after 75 days of lockdown, as India records more than 2,50,000 COVID-19 cases and 7,200 deaths August 28 India reported 34,61,240 COVID-19 cases and 62,713 deaths List of Technologies to fight COVID 19 Artificial intelligence Block chain Open-source technologies Telehealth technologies Three-dimensional printing Gene-editing technologies Nanotechnology Synthetic biology Drones Robots Artificial Intelligence(AI) Analytics have changed the way disease outbreaks are tracked and managed, thereby saving lives. International organizations and scientists have been using artificial intelligence (AI) to track the pandemic in real-time, so as to be able to predict where the virus might appear next and develop an effective response. A health monitoring start-up correctly predicted the spread of Covid-19, using natural-language processing and machine learning. AI has been used mainly to help detect whether people have novel coronavirus through the detection of visual signs of Covid-19 on images from computerized tomography (CT) lung scans; to monitor, in real time, changes in body temperature through the use of wearable sensors; and to provide an open-source data platform to track the spread of the disease. AI can process vast amounts of unstructured text data to predict the number of potential new cases by area and which types of populations will be most at risk, as well as to evaluate and optimize strategies for controlling the spread of the pandemic. Chinese internet search giant Baidu has developed a system using infrared and facial recognition technology that scans and takes photographs of more than 200 people per minute at the Qinghe railway station in Beijing. In Moscow, authorities are using automated facial recognition technology to scan surveillance camera footage in an attempt to identify recent arrivals from China, placed under quarantine for fear of Covid-19 infection. AI applications can also detect fake news(Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok ) Scan approved Drug database Disinfect patient rooms. Blockchain The COVID-19 coronavirus has impacted countries, communities and individuals in countless ways, from school closures to health-care insurance issues not to undermined loss of lives. As governments scramble to address these problems, different solutions based on blockchain technologies have sprung up to help deal with the worldwide health crisis. A blockchain is an essential tool for establishing an efficient and transparent healthcare business model based on higher degrees of accuracy and trust because technology is a tamper-proof public ledger. Blockchain will surely not prevent the emergence of new viruses itself, but what it can do is create the first line of rapid protection through a network of connected devices whose primary goal is to remain alert about disease outbreaks. Therefore, the use of blockchain-enabled platforms can help prevent these pandemics by enabling early detection of epidemics, fasttracking drug trials, and impact management of outbreaks and treatment Blockchain Blockchain technology can provide immediate and accurate information to governments and researchers. Blockchain Applications in fighting COVID-19 Three-dimensional printing Given the high risk of healthcare system capacity being exceeded, including the availability of medical hardware (face masks, ventilators and breathing filters) to treat Covid-19 patients, governments around the world are taking increasingly drastic measures to boost production and optimise the supply of the necessary medical equipment. As the coronavirus continues to put a strain on hospitals around the world, three-dimensional (3D) printing can play an important role as a disruptive digital manufacturing technology in sustaining the effort of hospital workers in the middle of this emergency and in keeping patients alive. Italian hospital turns to 3D printed oxygen valves 3D printed Door / hand sanitizer holder 3D printing enabled respirator 3D printed face shield frame 3D printed mold for production of face masks 3D printed non invasive PEEP mask printed VESper ventilation expansion splitter 3D printed link Charlotte valve3D 3D printed COVID 19 test swab hoisting and installing its 3D printed quarantine booths. Photo via Winsun 3D printed parts and off-the-shelf components to convert an existing manual ventilator system into an automatic one 3-D printing parts that can be attached to a motor to compress the bag of the manual ventilator,”. “This allows us to control the speed and volume of the compressions to help patients breathe. Eye drone uses Farsoon 3D printing technology Open-source technologies During disease outbreaks, rapid data sharing is critical as it allows for a better understanding of the origins and spread of the infection and can serve as a basis for effective prevention, treatment and care. The capacity of information technologies to allow for low-cost dissemination and collaboration of data have led to the establishment of a multitude of repositories and information technology platforms for data sharing. Most of these data-collection activities are coordinated by international organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. At the same time, an increasing number of bottom-up, open-data initiatives and open-source projects have also been developed, facilitating access to research data and scientific publications as well as sharing blueprints for production of critical medical equipment such as ventilators and face shields. Open source Technology App’s Website Telehealth technologies The Covid-19 pandemic is posing unique challenges to healthcare delivery. States across the world are shutting down non-essential services and in several cases issuing stay-at-home restrictive orders to flatten the curve and help overcrowded hospitals remain functional. Alternative technologies, conducive to self-quarantine, could therefore offer an essential link between patients and clinicians, circumventing the need to travel to overburdened hospitals. Given the high transmission rates of the disease, especially within hospitals, telehealth technologies can be a cost-effective means to slow the spread of the virus and to lessen the pressure on hospital capacity by operating as a possible filter, keeping those with moderate symptoms at home while routing more severe cases to hospitals. Gene-editing technologies The international community is currently focused on containing the largest human coronavirus severe-disease outbreak we ever seen (Covid-19). As it spreads, governments, academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop treatments to combat the pandemic. At the moment, there are no approved medicines to protect people from or treat them for Covid-19, although some antiviral therapies are being tested. Could geneediting technologies help in the diagnosis and treatment of this pandemic disease and become humanity's next virus killer? Application Nanotechnology Covid-19 is spreading rapidly over the globe, but there are few specific tools available to control the growing pandemic and to treat those who are sick. What is lacking is a specific antiviral agent to treat the infected and subsequently, decrease viral shedding and transmission. Νano-based products are currently being developed and deployed for the containment, diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19. An experimental nano-vaccine has become the first vaccine to be tested in a human trial. However, is nanotechnology mature enough to address clinical needs efficiently in the context of a pandemic? Synthetic biology In synthetic (lab-based) biology, scientists take a multidisciplinary approach, using biology, engineering, genetics, chemistry and computer science to substantially alter the genotype of viruses. This can contribute to advances in fields ranging from drug and vaccine development to pest control of invasive species. While there are a wide variety of uses, mainly in the applications such as diagnostics, vaccine and therapeutic development. Their efforts illustrate synthetic biology's potential to design, build, and test solutions for an unanticipated challenge such as Covid-19. genetic sequencing, CRISPR and synthetic biology • general design principles and modeling of synthetic biology • applications of synthetic biology to biochemical and biofuels production Application Diagnostics Vaccine development Drones From disinfection and street patrols to food and medicine delivery in quarantined districts, drones are being deployed on the front line to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Chinese government adapted and co-opted industrial drones to enforce the world's largest quarantine exercise. The modification of drone's software by state agencies and drone manufacturers to enforce restrictive measures, and to boost disease detection and crowd management makes a compelling case about the risks of pervasive surveillance and overstretched law enforcement. Robots Like drones, robots are another new technology being deployed to contain the spread of Covid-19. From the initial outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) in China to its spread across the globe, robots have been used to provide services and care for those quarantined or practicing social distancing. Robotics developers are responding quickly to public health concerns and needs and the pandemic has fast-tracked the 'testing' of robots and drones in public, with all stakeholders seeking the most expedient and safest way to grapple with the outbreak and limit its further spread. 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