In 2015, South Korea was taken by surprise
with an outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus.
At the time, it was deemed the largest outbreak outside of the Middle East, totaling
186 cases and 38 deaths. Since then, the Seoul government has grown more
vigilant and has reformed its health system to handle outbreaks, using digital
health technology that works seamlessly between different strategic
institutions. Experts believe it is this shift to digital preparedness that has
allowed South Korea to successfully manage the ongoing coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) pandemic. Although it was one of the first countries to detect
COVID-19 cases, it has managed to keep infection and death rates low without
shutting down businesses or enforcing widespread lockdowns.
At the onset of the pandemic, the
government swiftly and decisively activated a holistic system of surveillance,
case identification, contact tracing, and quarantine measures using the best of
digital health technologies. In a report published by the South Korean
government in April, titled “Flattening the curve on COVID-19: How Korea
responded to a pandemic using ICT,” we learn about a number of these innovative
initiatives that have reduced the menacing impacts of the virus in the country.
One example includes a university student who developed a “Coronavirus Map” app
that alerts users on patients’ movements in their vicinity, fetching data from
the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and essentially providing
a map of infection hot spots. Another app, Cobaek, notifies users whenever they
are within 100 meters of a confirmed coronavirus patient.
The government has also imposed a 14-day
quarantine rule for all inbound local and foreign travelers. To monitor any
breaches, the government has created the “Self-quarantine Safety Protection
App,” which must be downloaded by all arrivals. This app enables users to
monitor their health condition using a checklist of possible coronavirus
symptoms. Authorities are also immediately notified if someone attempts to
venture outside their designated quarantine area. Furthermore, epidemiological
investigators developed a digital system that allows them to immediately
identify the transmission routes of coronavirus patients using data from
telecommunications companies, credit card companies, and the police. Such
real-time data enables the government to alert local citizens about emerging
hot spots, test or quarantine people who have been in contact with confirmed
patients, and manage health care services in infected areas.
Today, governments are navigating unknown
terrain, with every decision being a double-edged sword of trying to save
people’s lives while potentially destroying their livelihoods. However, digital
health technologies are proving to be an essential navigational compass in the
battle against COVID-19. During this pandemic, for example, governments have
harnessed the powers of digital technology to respond in a reliable, timely and
effective manner. Countries are using it to review real-time data on
transmission and death rates according to demographics and geographical
locations, survey population movements using GPS on mobile phones, manage
health care resources and medical equipment, communicate with the public,
enforce quarantine measures, and evaluate the effectiveness of intervention
strategies.
For example, online health dashboards, such
as those run by the World Health Organization and the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus
Resource Center, are helping policymakers, health care professionals and
citizens monitor how the virus is spreading. This detailed data set can then be
garnered to identify emerging clusters of infections and to prepare health care
systems accordingly.
Like South Korea, Singapore has also kept
its COVID-19 infection and death rates low by using an array of digital tools.
“Ask Jamie” is a virtual assistant that can answer citizens’ queries on the
virus and can be accessed across 70 government agency websites. It has also
been enhanced to address business queries, including providing information on
how the government is supporting businesses during this crisis. Citizens may
also subscribe to the official government WhatsApp account to receive timely
and credible updates on the COVID-19 situation in four languages.
In Singapore, people have their temperature
checked at high-traffic entry points such as schools, workplaces and on public
transport. “VigilantGantry” has been developed as a fully automated, contactless
temperature screening tool that can detect abnormal temperatures without the
need for staff. The data from the system and facial recognition technology is
used by the authorities for contact tracing and to detect emerging hot spots of
the disease. Additionally, the government has developed the “TraceTogether”
app, which exchanges Bluetooth signals when people are in close proximity to
one another. These records are stored for 21 days in each user’s phone. Should
an individual be diagnosed with COVID-19, the Ministry of Health can easily
access this data to identify those who were in close contact with the patient
and test or quarantine them accordingly.
“Governments are navigating unknown
terrain, with every decision being a double-edged sword,” Sara Al-Mulla.
Taiwan has also managed to successfully
control the pandemic using digital health technologies. With a population of 23
million, it has kept COVID-19 cases to fewer than 500 and recorded just seven
deaths. When China first reported the outbreak, Taiwan swiftly imposed health
checks for incoming travelers from Wuhan, bringing together data from
immigration checkpoints with its health insurance system. This allowed health
care workers to access patients’ travel histories and initiate testing, contact
tracing or quarantining as needed. Furthermore, home-quarantined individuals
were monitored electronically by government-issued mobile phones and, in the
case of breaches, authorities were alerted and individuals issued fines.
Digital health technologies have played a
crucial part in quelling the pandemic in countries with low infection and death
rates. It seems, then, that we can help steer the course of this pandemic by
capitalizing on these digital solutions.
