COVID

COVID-19 has immensely changed the way we do things in almost every sector, healthcare included.

Humans are social beings and so it is understandably difficult to be isolated from others. Since the beginning of the pandemic, one of the biggest challenges faced by families is the inability to visit loved ones who are ill in hospital. It can be a very lonely journey if one is ill with little or no familial support, which could negatively affect recovery. There have been reports of mental health issues increasing during lockdown.

The current COVID-19 vaccination distribution programme had me thinking about the best ways to quickly identify segments of the population that could be most at risk, not just for COVID, but for any health issue that may come up and that we have to address nationally. We speak a lot about the social determinants of health, and now we can apply them to our healthcare planning, with technology, to get a better sense of the state and needs of the population and how we can address them with specific interventions.

It may be time to start thinking about putting more robots and automation in our healthcare system. This is important and takes on even more relevance with the current pandemic and the levels and rate of infection of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a new normal for many of us. Most people are simply not used to having to stay away from friends and loved ones as long as we have been during isolation and quarantine. Humans are, by nature, social creatures, so this is especially hard for a number of persons. I have seen more and more persons saying that they have been having feelings of anxiety and depression during this time.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has resulted in many opportunities for the health technology industry. Our usually technophobic population has been embracing technology more and more since the start of the restrictions due to the spread of COVID-19. This is understandable since people have been advised to shelter in place and remain quarantined if they have symptoms of the illness. They have to somehow access healthcare while at home.