Many countries have put their best ideas and creations to the test prevention measure to halt the spread of COVID-19, specifically in the realm of technology. Artificial Intelligence and robots are leading the way in countries putting new tech to new tests. The company “PUDU” allowed China to do trial runs on robots, that could deliver food to patients and other citizens in Wuhan during the rigorous quarantine period earlier in 2020.

BlueOcean robotics also sent a hoard of "UVD Robots" there, which CEO Claus Risager said, "use advanced algorithms and specialized sensors to cover all surfaces with the right amount of (virus killing) light. With this data, users can see exactly which rooms have been cleared of bacteria and viruses." These robots can complete their jobs in as little as 10-15 minutes, including their ability to reach places some humans previously couldn't. These robots are more effective in the prevention of the Coronavirus spread. First, they reduce the risk of a person becoming exposed to the virus while disinfecting an area, and they have a higher success rate in successfully decontaminating every surface and crevice of these high-risk areas.

Hong Kong has even hired these similar types of robots to assist in keeping the Hong Kong Mass Transit Rail System. Vaporizing hydrogen peroxide robots are cleaning trains and specific areas where citizens could most likely become infected due to exposure to asymptomatic carriers, or contaminated metal and plastic surfaces on which the virus can survive for several hours if not days.

Network Communication programs are using technology like "Telegram" and "Facebook" to provide an open forum for ideas to flow from engineers and other professionals using their skills to help healthcare workers see assistance in loads of accessing ventilators and masks. In fact, low efficient technology has appeared to be highly volatile in allowing virtually any and everyone to help. Face masks that have been produced locally with the help of clothing designers. These masks are distributed with a simple "Do It Yourself" instructions on social media, and even groups have dedicated their clothing manufacturing skills to gather and mass-produce masks for local hospitals.

Engineering groups have also been able to take part in helping healthcare professionals by using 3-D printing to design respirators and ventilators. A group in Spain recently assembled an open-source respirator proto-type. An Irish open-source hardware project has also produced a prototype ventilator using three-dimensional primed materials and readily available inexpensive parts. Facebook's spin attraction propelled these projects in seven days to reach more than 300 engineers, medical professionals, and researchers.

Artificial Intelligence has proven to be very useful in detection and issuance. BlueDot, a Canadian startup, has produced Artificial Intelligence that analyzes governments and news reports, along with social media, to assist in tracking infectious at blazing speed. BlueDot had already shown its ability to process information and make appropriate claims, when on January 25th this year, it issued a warning beating the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. It takes into account every possible outcome, from air travel, populations in distinct areas, climate, mosquitos, demographics, and a countries inherent ability to respond, are all included in assisting the A.I. comprehend where it will spread along with its impact.

Jack Maas of Alibaba, is also developing artificial intelligence diagnostic systems that process C.T. scans with 96% accuracy. We also see that this machine can also ease the time of reading this information, dropping dramatically from fifteen minutes to twenty seconds.

COVID-19 has had no problem showing its tenacity, but so have countries across the globe like Hong Kong and Spain, for example, using both high and low efficient technologies from robots to masks. Medical professionals, engineers, and researchers are now working in a way that no longer has any boundaries, while still practicing "Social Distancing." Thanks to technology and global participation in fighting COVID-19, we can use these innovations for future developments in society and hopefully be better equipped to prevent another mass spread, as large as the one we are witnessing now with the Coronavirus.

10 technology trends to watch in the COVID-19 pandemic (weforum.org)
CRISPR-based technology spots COVID-19 (news.harvard.edu)
Technology companies can help fight Covid-19 (cnn.com)
Digital technology and COVID-19 (nature.com)
Roundup: Tech's role in tracking, testing, treating COVID-19 (mobilehealthnews.com)

UNITED STATES, Maryland - The COVID-19 epidemic has many people feeling confused and overwhelmed, and the government's handling of the situation is not assuring. While the state governors try unsuccessfully to procure medication, often by negotiating directly with overseas manufacturers, American citizens pin their hopes the latest snake-oil promises. Amid this pandemic, it is ludicrous that toilet paper and meat have become iconic symptoms of scarcity.

It is into this miasma of uncertainty, the ideas which arose from the first constitution and the "Articles of Confederacy" have reasserted into the national discourse. The lines of demarcation between the federal and state governments have increasingly become amplified, with each fighting about the right way to proceed in keeping the nation's people and economy safe.

Many speculate that it is due to the economy's current state, that the president's administration is too focused on reopening America to the public and less concerned with the public's health. According to BBC News, investors are worried about the negative impact the Coronavirus pandemic on the nation's economic growth. More than 30 million people are seeking work, and unemployment hit a record high since the start of the lockdown, oil prices have crashed to a 21- year low and U.S. oil prices have turned negative for the first time.

Though all of these are genuinely frightening, experts are still reluctant to "reopen" America. Why? Because people will die. Many Americans have started to think of this as having to pick a side between saving their fellow Americans' lives and saving the country's economy. Several experts, however, feel that it is imperative for both that we keep strict lockdown orders—others state that reopening should be a slow process with mass testing to keep everyone safe. Testing has been minimal, however. Many people who exhibit symptoms are routinely denied testing until their symptoms are dire due to the lack of supplies.

It is because of this lack that Republican Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan, who has recently secured 100,000 COVID-19 tests from South Korea, has deployed the national guard and the state police to protects these tests which he has stored at an undisclosed location. Though to some, this may sound like extreme caution bordering on paranoia; Governor Hogan cites the recent seizure of N95 masks in Massachusetts as justification.

Earlier this year, Governor Charlie Baker, of the State of Massachusetts spent approximately three million dollars on N95 masks for care workers and first responders. The federal government unexpectedly seized these at the port of New York, and this was the first sign that something was amiss. In fact, according to USA TODAY, Marketwatch, EMS1, and WLRN, the federal government had also seized millions of masks ordered by Delaware and Florida.

After losing the first shipment, Governor Charlie Baker bought more masks, which he arranged to have flown them directly into the State of Massachusetts, using the New England Patriots' private plane. While in Maryland, Governor Hogan is still putting together a plan on how to use his new kits best. He announced in a press conference that the kits would be distributed to nursing homes and assisted-living areas and other Virus "hot spots," including an outbreak in a poultry plant on the Eastern Shore.

Once these hotspots have been taken care of, the governor hopes to start then testing about 10,000 people per day to safely and responsibly end the strict quarantine orders.

Two private labs have been contracted to support Maryland's state lab with processing the test swabs from the kits once they reach prearranged distribution centers. Because of the seizures, and the ubiquitous unavailability of test kits, hoarding has come under some scrutiny. Some people question why the governor is hoarding the kits with armed guards, and others yet are perplexed as to why he felt the need to purchase the tests internationally. However, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also bought millions of dollars of tests from two South Korean companies.

According to the Washington Post, U.S. manufacturers have been able to produce and ship tests by the millions. However, some government officials admit that there have been shortages in the supplies necessary to perform the tests, like cotton swabs, which Eric Blank, the Association of Public Health Laboratories' Chief Program Officer, refutes.