THE TECHNOLOGY VIRUS

 While we may fret over the implications of the global pandemic that plagues our nations, we often neglect one crucial highlight of our tribulation: there has never been a better time for us to fight the outbreak. 

The 14th Century Bubonic plague killed 10-15 percent of the worlds population, an estimated 50-100 million people died with the Spanish flu of 1918. Going out in the open meant certain death. These were times when medical science had no answer to such pandemics. There were no antibiotics, no testing kits, ventilators or treatment protocols. Add to it the limited number of medical workers. 

Some may argue that its very similar today , despite hospitals and all the advancements, we have no effective and proven treatment yet, and the mortality rate is eerily similar to the Spanish Flu. Exponential jumps in number of deaths on a daily basis strengthen the argument. 

So where does one find hope?  

Enter Technology.  

The connectivity and reach of people has never been so abundant in our two hundred thousand years of existence on our home planet. Never have we been more equipped , more prepared and more synchronized in our fight to survive.  

The scientist are building on the work of others, uploaded on the web for all to see, and then publishing their findings online. The sharing of information, among the best of brains is so much that it is now universally accepted that a vaccine is just months away. A cure would come even earlier. Location tracking is just one tool to limit the spread. Battling the disease has become just a mathematical problem to solve. With the spread of information on all aspects of the pandemic, the statistician gives outcomes and then follows predictions. These predictions give us hope and strength. All this because of Technology and Information. 

Due to these predictions the economist are better equipped to deal with the challenging times for nations ahead. Already there is a global coordinated effort to limit the effects of recession. There is an action plan even before the actual data has come in. As more data comes in , more measures would be taken. Never has it happened before and never has the scale of response been so wide and far reaching. Could there have been a better time to fight this crisis? I think not. But then, keep watching this space.