How can governments use AI to fight the corona virus pandemic better?

As the global rate of COVID-19 infections crosses the 5.5 million mark, many governments are still scrambling to set up an efficient response to the pandemic. Many countries have initiated lockdowns and later slowly loosened them up in the hopes of reviving their weakened economies. It is clear to governments and society that the lockdowns cannot continue forever. We have to live in a world where coronavirus exists but manage to the best of our ability. Governments must use all tools at their ability to ensure the safety of their citizens, and this includes Artificial Intelligence.

Here are the few lists of some viable and easily implementable AI tools that can assist governments in managing post lockdown COVID situations:

1) Mapping the spread of SARS-CoV-2: To stop the spread of COVID-19, governments must first know how fast it is being transferred. It should be able to predict the fallout of each of its policies in the spread of infection. This can be done using Artificial Intelligence backed by epidemiological science. Given information on travel patterns and by modifying machine learning models designed to predict flu outbreaks to resemble a COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible to estimate the number of infections that can occur under various policies(easing of travel restrictions, allowing a return to work life, etc.). This information is invaluable in making better policies.

The second aspect of this is the use of natural language processing to detect reports on social media and local news in the country and predicting the new epicenters of outbreaks. This can allow a swift response, and the governments can prepare to take the necessary quarantine measures.

2) Crowd monitoring: One of the biggest challenges governments now face the enforcing of social distancing rules. Large crowds gathered in hotspots have resulted in fresh outbreaks, leading to an exponential rise in the COVID cases. Governments must act quickly to disperse crowd gatherings and minimize the chance of rapid spread of disease. This can be done using crowd monitoring using traffic cameras and the application of AI. Traffic cameras are practically omnipresent in most cities with high-density populations. An AI algorithm monitoring these video feeds can classify and detect humans appearing together in large numbers and flag it for authorities. This can lead to them responding quickly to curb the spread of coronavirus effectively.

3) Shop monitoring: Another challenge is the enforcement of social distancing inside shops and private establishments. Large crowds gathering in liquor stores the day they reopened in many places led to police intervention and closure of shops. These shops are vital sources of tax revenue for cash-strapped states, and their shutdown hurts the economy as well as the government’s attempts at bringing the country to normalcy. AI can replace the need for such knee-jerk reactions. Object detection and image classification using neural networks can identify humans using videos from CCTV cameras that exist inside most high-value shops. With AI and the primary application of trigonometry on the camera’s location, it is possible to determine when social distancing norms are not being followed. This can then be used to sound a warning signal or alert the authorities. Governments can reopen shops that install software built-in with such an algorithm and ensure that public safety is not reduced for tax gains

4) Symptom Monitoring: We can expect the return of public transport as we return to new normalcy with the ease of restrictions and lockdown. Public transportation utilities like the subways, buses, metros, and railway stations are frequently over-crowded. So governments must ensure these zones aren’t the hotbeds of viral infection. It is practically impossible to test everyone going into a station individually. Instead, governments can rely on thermal imaging cameras to measure temperatures for each person. As these cameras can have variations in measurement due to ambient temperature, humidity, and sex of the person, among other factors, they need to be corrected on the go for each specific feature. This can be done with AI algorithms. A thermal camera backed by AI software can be placed strategically at entrances to public transport utilities. They can accurately measure citizens’ temperature and flag anyone with high temperatures (above 100.4 °F, as recommended by health agencies). Such people can be separated and administered swab tests. Their details can then be collected while they’re put on quarantine awaiting test results. As this is a public health matter, issues of privacy must be put aside.

5) Asymptomatic carriers identification: Research shows that up to 50% of carriers of COVID-19 infections show no symptoms. These are high-risk stealth-spreaders that can harm large sections of the population and start new outbreaks without even realizing it. As Governments collect more samples from such carriers, AI can help determine what features are common among such people. After applying various clustering algorithms over a wide range of features and data obtained from asymptomatic and symptomatic carriers, it is possible to identify asymptomatic hosts. This knowledge could be useful in multiple ways — in medical research or in determining what populations are at higher risk of spreading diseases without realizing it.

6) Quarantine-breaker prediction: News reports are rife with stories of returned migrants breaking quarantine despite explicit stay-at-home orders. This could be due to various reasons — lack of income, necessity, or simply a disregard for public health. Governments are using smartphone apps to monitor the location of quarantined individuals to varying degrees of success. However, these systems are easily deceived by leaving smartphones at home. As more cases emerge, governments can collect data of quarantine breakers for predictive analytics. This data (age, income levels, size of family, and a range of other features) can be used to predict who is more likely to break quarantine in the future. Governments can use this information to alert local authorities that can regularly monitor high-risk individuals to minimize the risk of spreading to others. The emergence of a pandemic of such a severe nature creates many challenges for nations of the world. If COVID-19 is to be dealt with quickly with minimal damage to the population, we need all the help we can get. This is why the use of AI must be explored in all its forms. There are very legitimate concerns about privacy when government surveillance is extended to such levels. However, as long as government actions are limited to pandemic control and removed once normalcy is restored, we must accept these risks for the public good.

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