Safeguarding against a resurgence of COVID — Forkbeard Technologies

The number of vaccinated people is steadily growing and some countries have started booster shots (third vaccination). Yet we see some alarming trends in the number of COVID cases across several regions.

According to Worldometer, there is a 9% increase in cases and 2% increase in the number of deaths compared to the preceding week. A total of 40 countries are showing higher than 40% increase in new cases the past week.

What’s happening?

So why is this happening when such a large number of the populous has been vaccinated? Latest numbers show that 40.5% of the world population has been fully vaccinated. 51% have been fully or partially vaccinated.

It’s a combination of several factors. Countries are fully opening again. People are settling back into their old way of life. Workplaces are opening up. Restrictions on gatherings are loosened or removed. It’s no longer mandatory to wear a mask on public transport. And the list goes on depending on where in the world you are.

I’m not here to argue the fault of any specific reason for the trends. More important is to consider the solution. Look at what we can do without infringing on a post-COVID way of life, while not regressing to national or local restrictions and mandates that we have finally moved past.

One possible solution

We’ve covered the benefits of Forkbeard Technologies solutions to combat spread and gaining insight into how to safely reopen. If you missed out, check this or this blog entry.

A good solution won’t get in the way. Using a proximity tracing solution, you can effectively proactively and reactively take action.

Proactively, having an installation at the office allows you to see the number of people at a specific location. If you’re reaching a threshold, a notification can be sent to inform that a locale is at capacity. Thus minimising the potential for spread.

Retrospectively, a person tests positive for COVID. One can then access data from the installation. Cross reference the infected person with the interactions they’ve had with other people based on a risk model. This way, you can inform all people who were at risk of infection and take action accordingly. Go and take a COVID test, work from home or initiate a self quarantine.

And all this while taking into account privacy, which is paramount. We discussed privacy and considerations to take into account when choosing a solution in this blog post.

Other advantages

And the system doesn’t only work for COVID. This is an installation that is beneficial to have for other reasons. Firstly, and in light of the main topic, you’ll be readily equipped to deal with similar trends in the future. But you can also use the data that you gather to determine peak hours at a location. Which areas of your location is the busiest. These metrics can help organise work shifts or necessity for cleaners and where to focus the most. One could even use the data to look at logistics and administration of a work space. Could you reduce the office space, would it be beneficial with a larger social area or are there needs for more meeting rooms.

Originally published at https://forkbeardtech.com on November 11, 2021.