Coronavirus Innovation
As COVID-19 continues to spread in Europe, we gather articles from Estonia, France, Denmark, and Portugal to examine some of the latest technologies helping to deal with the crisis. We also look at cooperation between EU member states and find out what (European) fish have to do with the pandemic.
COVID-19 Chatbot
Forte reviews the latest invention of the Estonian government's Crisis Commission - a chat robot that answers questions about the coronavirus and the emergency situation. The chatbot called Summer uses information from official sources in government agencies and understands questions in both Estonian and English. Forte reports that the robot understands and provides adequate information to questions like ‘Who is the head of the government crisis committee?’, ‘What is coronavirus?’ or ‘What are the symptoms of coronavirus?’. The robot offers a new way to raise awareness about the life-changing situation that affects us all, while at the same time relieving the burden on various hotlines. The more people use it, the more the chatbot will learn. Summer collects and sends unanswered user questions to editors, helping to develop the robot and allowing it to answer questions more accurately. Thanks to the contribution of volunteers, the chatbot will soon be able to communicate in Russian as well.
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EU solidarity in a time of crisis
Ouest France reports that Germany has agreed to take in COVID-19 patients from Italy. Germany is already receiving patients from France, but announced earlier this week that it will now also treat infected people from Italy as a sign of solidarity. As the death toll exceeded 6000 in Italy, Minister-President Michael Kretschmer of the German state of Saxony said it was important to support each other and help others when we have the means. Even though Germany has also been hit hard by the pandemic and cases are on the rise, the conservative leader announced that hospitals have the capacity to accommodate the Italian patients. The decision to take them in was made after consultation with the doctors.
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AI to give doctors a break
Politiken reports good news from Denmark, where two doctors and a scientist have developed artificial intelligence capable of monitoring COVID-19 patients. This allows healthcare workers to care for patients without being in close contact with them, reducing the risk for infection. This would also lift strains on hospitals to find beds, as long term patients, who are stable, could be monitored from their own homes and hotels can begin to serve as makeshift hospitals. Next week, the first 65 patients will be equipped with the monitoring gear, which includes a patch on the chest, an oxygen monitor on the index finger, and a wristband. Healthcare professionals will also have more time to react if a patient becomes critical as the equipment can monitor more efficiently and around the clock. With more data, the algorithm is working to predict deterioration in patients before they happen in order to help doctors and nurses respond in time.
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Fishing for EU support
Fishermen in Portugal are threatening to stay on land as the coronavirus pandemic affects their livelihood. They have been established as necessary workers, but with prices halved and restrictions on the number of boats and days they can fish, fishermen have less incentives to continue working. Fishermen are hoping for concrete measures to come from the meeting between EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius and the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries which took place this week. Ricardo Santos, President of the Fisheries cooperative of Setúbal, Sines and Sesimbra (Sesibal), is asking for minimum wage for fisherman as well as support for companies. Fishermen have also asked the Council to instate minimum auction prices for fish, a suspension on sales tax, and to allow fishing on weekends to better distribute fish during the week. Diario de Noticias notes that the situation with fisherman is highly complex due to the fact that many fisherman tend to be older and cannot stay out at sea for days, therefore less than half as many boats go fishing. This means that the price of fish is important, as the quantity can not be easily increased. The government has offered them 20 million in loans, but fishermen are hesitant to go further in debt without things like minimum wage, fish prices, and daily expenses being addressed first.
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