Role of technology and innovation in tackling second wave of coronavirus

The onset of coronavirus in 2020 accelerated digitisation and redefined the best way we dwell and work.

By Raj Kumar,

Whereas 2021 started on a optimistic observe with a fast rebound of the Indian financial system, the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic derailed the progress whereas leading to huge lack of human lives. A every day common of over three lakh instances throughout the nation led to an incredible scarcity of beds and oxygen, thereby placing the healthcare amenities below extreme pressure. The magnitude of the disaster prompted related stakeholders within the expertise and infrastructure ecosystem to collaborate and sort out the state of affairs by discovering hacks to resolve issues utilizing restricted assets.

The onset of coronavirus in 2020 accelerated digitisation and redefined the best way we dwell and work. The lockdown led to a suspension within the brick and mortar mannequin of training and heralded a shift in direction of on-line studying. The make money working from home mannequin turned a norm as extra corporations warmed as much as the notion of versatile working. In-person conferences at workplaces have been changed by video-conferencing over MS Group/Zoom/Skype, and buying turned revolutionised utilizing AI, Augmented Actuality and Digital Actuality. Face-to-face consultations gave approach to teleconsultations in healthcare. A number of premier tutorial establishments and startups got here to the forefront by growing modern units and applied sciences to fight the transmission threat of coronavirus whereas digitising the prevailing amenities.

Nevertheless, the second wave of coronavirus was extra deadly and prompted the enterprise ecosystem to reply with a number of path-breaking initiatives to fight the hardships of coronavirus sufferers. In a heartening endeavour, actual property corporations and Resident Welfare Associations at condominiums took the lead in establishing Covid-19 isolation wards in collaboration with hospitals. With the prevailing healthcare amenities coming below strain, startups spearheaded innovation by growing merchandise, resembling low-cost transportable ventilators, particular anti-microbial coatings, UV sterilisation programs, drones to watch social distancing norms, and so forth. Covid-19 additionally supplied a fillip to crowdsourcing initiatives that marked a collaborative effort to sort out the disaster. A number of business our bodies additionally took the lead in organising digital hackathons to develop modern options to deal with a number of challenges ensuing from Covid-19.

The federal government initiatives supplied an enabling framework to catalyse innovation amid these unprecedented instances. As an illustration, the Division of Science and Know-how, below its initiative, NIDHI4COVID2.0, referred to as on startups to develop applied sciences in sphered of oxygen innovation, transportable answer, related medical equipment, diagnostic, informatics to sort out varied challenges confronted ensuing from the second wave of Covid-19. Bihar turned the primary state to plot its Oxygen Manufacturing Coverage amid Covid-19. The coverage entitles entrepreneur to a 30 per cent capital subsidy for establishing oxygen manufacturing amenities, with the utmost help of as much as Rs 25 crore for cryogenic oxygen crops. In keeping with the coverage, oxygen cylinder producers will probably be entitled to monetary support as much as Rs 75 crore. Many entities additionally partnered with the state governments to facilitate entry to correct factual details about coronavirus and eradicated pretend information on social media platforms.

It’s noteworthy that the innovation didn’t stay confined to product growth alone; the second wave of coronavirus spurred restructuring of present B2B and provide chain fashions to allow healthcare establishments to reply swiftly to the risk to human lives.

The scarcity of oxygen throughout Covid-19 is a formidable problem that put a number of human lives in danger. It turns into crucial to gauge the on-ground oxygen provide state of affairs and guarantee a easy and environment friendly provide of oxygen with a quick turnaround time, thus saving human lives. To make sure a easy and environment friendly provide of oxygen throughout varied states, the Central Authorities has deployed ‘Oxygen Categorical’ trains for varied state capitals. Nevertheless, this solves solely part of the issue as a serious bottleneck is the real-time monitoring and seamless coordination between logistics and operations to make sure that oxygen reaches hospitals with none delay. Black advertising and hoarding of oxygen and important medical provides can also be a problem that exacerbated the issue of oxygen provide.

To beat these challenges, hub and spoke mannequin was deployed by multi-modal transport integration. Below this mannequin, 5 hubs have been established in Uttar Pradesh to make sure route optimisation by air, rail and street transport. The 5 hubs join 5 to 6 close by cities/districts and villages, whereas the hospitals in these respective cities/districts and cities perform as spokes. As soon as the oxygen provide reaches key cities, aircrafts carry the oxygen to the respective hubs which might be additional transported to the needy hospitals by oxygen tankers. It’s a versatile mannequin because it permits the creation of extra hubs with a minimal turnaround time of 8 to 10 hours to fulfill the sudden spike in oxygen demand. This mannequin has diminished turnaround time in oxygen provide by prioritising supply by correct demand and provide information evaluation. By leveraging state-of-the-art expertise and harnessing the ability of collaboration, this mannequin has set a benchmark in excellence to be replicated throughout the nation.

Covid-19 might have sparked off innovation; the bottom line is to maintain this entrepreneurial mindset to deal with world challenges collaboratively and innovatively in the long term. It would support the swift revival of the Indian financial system and be a means ahead to attain the dream of a 5 trillion greenback financial system by 2025.

(The writer is CMD, Rodic Consultants Pvt. Ltd. Views expressed are private and don’t mirror the official place or coverage of the Monetary Categorical On-line.)