It was on March 11, 2020, when the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and thanks to technology, many of us have been getting through it more or less okay. With fear over a second wave, we can at least rely on the fact that there are systems in place to keep many of us safe and ensure we have everything we need during this crisis.
While we often curse technology – for breaking or being slow – but we truly are lucky to be able to do some many things thanks to brilliant innovators.
Technology that’s helped us through COVID
Video Call Platforms
Move over Skype, Zoom became the platform of choice for many professionals to continue business as usual during these unusual times. Not only was this platform used for meetings and interviews, it was and continues to be used for recreational purposes. Families got to chat, friends had cocktail hours and people even did fitness classes via Zoom.
While this wasn’t new technology, many of us couldn’t have gotten through the early days of COVID without it, when you couldn’t gather with anyone outside of your household.
Online Grocery and Food Ordering
Again, this technology existed before, but not on this scale. With many people afraid to go to grocery stores and those in the vulnerable population rely on food delivery services. Having the ability to choose your groceries on an app or website, pay for them and order them all online has really improved the lives of many Canadians.
What was maybe considered a luxury before is now a necessity for many.
And for those who were craving takeout or wanting to support local restaurants, food delivery apps got more popular than ever. This was a win-win-win, as it employed many drivers, brought food to those who were tired of cooking and helped out local eateries.
Contact Tracing
We all know that the best way to control this virus is to find out how has it. This means testing. Then we also need to know where people with positive results have been, so to warn those who may have come into contact.
While there are plenty of debates over privacy, the fact of the matter is that contact tracing is an important part of managing the pandemic before there is a vaccine.
Different tech companies have worked on apps to help protect the users identity, while still alerting them to possible infections.
Supply Chain
This was a bumpy start back in March and April, when governments were trying to procure mass quantities of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for front line workers and medical equipment, such as ventilators.
Not only did companies step up to help with supply chain management, many re-tooled their factories to manufacture what we needed right here in Canada. We are fortunate to have access to such amazing technology and bright minds to make it happen.
I’m sure we missed a lot – but it’s important to recognize the amazing things we were able to do to keep the world going, even when things were pretty crazy.
TwinBytes
TwinBytes is an essential service – so we’ve been open the entire time, working hard to keep your systems running. Much of what we do can be done remotely, or we can work safely, observing all physical distancing and mask guidelines.
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