The Corona viral pandemic is proving to be the biggest existential threat to humankind since the World Wars. Effective management of this crisis will be the legacy of our generation.
While there can be no disputing the value of good personal hygiene, social distancing, isolation and effective therapies, early diagnosis is certainly the backbone of any therapeutic strategy. The challenge is the very subtle signs and symptoms that precede a carrier and eventual infected person.
By pouring over the latest papers which have documented the experience in Asia and now Europe, we have built an automated decision tool that would assist decisions around the need for testing. The rationale behind this is twofold.
- While it may be ideal to test everyone with the slightest sign, there are simply not enough test kits available.
- A carrier may not initially have symptoms or test positively, but this may change over the course of days or hours.
The rationale for making good decisions is that if we distribute the limited resources intelligently, containment of the infected and “flattening of the curve” will allow for medical resources to keep pace with the rate of the infected and prevent a catastrophe.