This article contains:
The Use of Robots to Replace Human Workers Due to COVID-19
Ivermectin as a Potential Cure for COVID-19
The Use of Robots to Replace Human Workers Due to COVID-19
Written By: Nayada Deevisetpunt
It is certain that soon, human workers are going to be replaced by robots, and that this pandemic outbreak of coronavirus is further accelerating this process. Many companies are now utilizing robots to reduce the number of workers having to physically come to work and to increase social distancing between people. Due to health experts expecting some social distancing measures to take place through the year 2021, many people are now in a greater demand for these robot workers.
Recently, the Danish manufacture of ultraviolet-light-disinfection robots (UVD Robots) has shipped out hundreds of its robots to the hospitals in China and throughout Europe. There are also some plans for using these machines for the first time in Thailand as well. Chulalongkorn University has joined with Advanced Info Service (AIS) to develop smart robots with 5G tech to take care of coronavirus patients. These robots, assembled by the engineering and medicine faculties of Chulalongkorn University, are being used to detect symptoms of the inspected groups to help prevent the doctors and medical personnel from the risk of exposure to the disease. These robots can function as a go-between for doctors and patients through a high-resolution video conference, allowing doctors to perform an initial diagnosis on the infected patients.
In the future, these smart robots could also be linked with equipment such as blood pressure monitors, pulse watches, and thermometers to send health data to the doctors. Mr. Wasit Wattanasap, head of nationwide operations and support for AIS, mentioned that about 40-50 smart robots will be produced from research funds, and that “Telehealth is one of the key sectors that will benefit and improve quality of life when there is a shortage of doctors and medical staff.” Currently, these robots have been placed at three medical facilities: two at Rajavithi Hospital, one at Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital, and the other at the Central Chest Institute of Thailand.
Apart from hospitals, groceries and restaurants offering takeaway are now making use of these robots as well. Experts mentioned that after the re-opening of these businesses, it is expected to see further usage and adoption of these technologies. Moreover, warehouses like Amazon and Walmart are now hoping to increase robots’ usage for sorting, shipping, and packing. This would reduce the number of workers, increase social distancing, and lower the risk of spreading this disease.
Ivermectin as a Potential Cure for COVID-19
Written By: Pimtawan Jatupornpakdee
While the outbreak of the COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 is still progressing, many scientists and researchers around the world are working hard to find a drug to treat this virus. The drug that has recently been looked into for being an effective treatment for Covid-19 is Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug commonly used in dogs to prevent lice.
Australia’s Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity at Royal Melbourne Hospital have published an Antiviral Research. The research initiated that after the infected cell culture was applied with Ivermectin, the result showed a decrease in 5,000 units of the viral RNA. This result creates hope for finding the treatment. After the research was published, many social media sites spread the benefits of this drug, causing some people to self-medicate with Ivermectin. Similar cases have been found with a drug such as hydroxychloroquine, in which some researchers also believed to be the treatment for COVID-19. Monash University later warned consumers about the danger of self-medication, since no clinical trials have been performed on Ivermectin with the virus.
The research caught the interest of the clinical investigators in Medincell, which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They received 19 million dollars from the foundation to test whether Ivermectin can be the cure to Malaria, but because of the current situation occurring worldwide, they shifted the research to focus on the treatment of COVID-19. From Professor Jean-Paul Stalh's perspective, head of the infectious diseases unit at Grenoble CHU hospital, it would take at least 3 years to find a new drug to treat the SARS-CoV-2, so why not just try using the existing drugs? Clinical investigators in Medincell performed a clinical trial to test Ivermectin’s potential to become the cure. Recently, Medincell has published that the long-acting formulation of Ivermectin could be designed with different doses and durations that can be used to fight Malaria. Medincell believed that similar ideas can be applied to fight SARS-CoV-2, but future clinical trials and studies are needed in order to confirm this idea.
Ivermectin could be the solution to this outbreak, but no studies have confirmed the definite result of the usage of the drug. Even so, the foundation of Ivermectin treatment gave hope to many researchers in finding the cure as well as hope for all of us.
Comments