How Big Tech Is Encouraging Pandemic Preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic took everyone by surprise. People at many Big Tech entities assert it’s necessary to put more resources into pandemic preparedness. After all, the next major health crisis could be just around the corner. And, as recent news reports show, COVID-19 remains a threat in many areas of the world. Here are some of the things Big Tech companies have done to help promote better preparations.

Advocating for a Pandemic Response Team

Some countries have cardiac first responders who go to people suffering heart attacks before ambulances arrive. These people have CPR and defibrillator training, meaning their quick action could save lives. Bill Gates wants similarly fast action to occur during the next pandemic.

In his recently published book about pandemic prevention, he envisioned creating a permanent team of paid individuals who are ready to respond at the first signs of possible problems. He suggested calling them the Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization (GERM) team. Gates clarified that it would cost $1 billion per year to provide salaries for the 3,000 people needed. He insisted that building a GERM team is necessary to ensure COVID-19 is the last pandemic.

However, it’ll also take more than money to make the idea a reality. Gates discussed how GERM members would collaborate with parties worldwide to make their actions most effective. That kind of large-scale teamwork is typically challenging. However, tech tools like data dashboards and smartphone apps could streamline it.

Expanding Smart Device Features
Big Tech companies were quick to respond by making their respective smart devices have COVID-19-related features. Some of those gadgets were even part of medical studies that examined to what extent tech products might help diagnose COVID-19 cases. One study of Apple Watch users found the devices could detect COVID-19 a week before nasal swab tests picked up the virus. More specifically, the wearables tracked heart rate variability as a measure of onset.

Smart speakers from companies like Apple, Google and Amazon also supported features that helped people learn whether they might have COVID-19 or find testing centers and vaccination sites. Researchers also conducted a study to see how well some of the leading smart speakers or voice assistants on smartphones assisted people by giving them relevant and accurate information about COVID-19 in user-friendly ways.

The results showed that Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri performed best across all theevaluation parameters. The researchers came up with 56 questions to ask the smart assistants and scored them based on various factors. For example, how many times did a person have to ask a question before the assistant understood it? Was the information biased? Did it contain advertisements?

Now that the smart speakers can handle providing that information about COVID-19, developers should be easily able to adapt them as needed. That might mean giving people details about the next pandemic or updating the information as scientists learn more about COVID-19.

Retaining Some Much-Needed Workplace Flexibility

Federal statistics showed that more than 9.5 million Americans losttheir jobs during the pandemic. Many people who kept their jobs during the traumatic time switched to remote work if it was feasible for their duties.

Once it became safe enough to go back to the office, Big Tech firms often changed their policies tomove away from purely on-site work. When Apple and Google reopened offices in April 2022, employees at both companies received word they could work from home on certain days of the week if desired. Twitter employees also learned they could do remote work forever if it was most suitable for them.

Pandemic preparedness is almost certainly not the sole factor that caused Big Tech decision-makers to give such flexibility. After all, a 2021 survey found that 54% of employees would consider quitting if they could not continue havingsome freedom regarding when and where they work.

However, if Big Tech firms stick with remote working arrangements at least part of the time, they’ll be more able to switch back to them entirely if the next pandemic warrants that. Plus, when Big Tech companies let workers clock in remotely sometimes, that decision could inspire other business leaders to follow suit.

Supporting Telemedicine and Other Health Care Tech

Some Big Tech companies have also begun or increased their investments in various types of health care technologies that should help physicians and other medical professionals be better prepared for pandemics. When providers have improved resources, they can act quickly and with confidence.

In the autumn of 2020, Google, Microsoft and others teamed up for the Trinity Challenge. It provided approximately $13 million in funding for proposals thatcould help the world get ready for the next pandemic.

Earlier that year, Google Cloud invested $100 million into Amwell Health, which specializes in telemedicine. Part of the reason for doing that was to increase access to virtual care, which was greatly needed and utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More recently, Microsoft expanded its cloud-based services for physicians. The features include virtual appointment-setting capabilities, patient insights analytics and chatbot templates that help organizations build tools to better interact with patients.

These tech companies were almost certainly thinking about more than pandemic preparedness when taking these actions. However, it’s easy to see how they’ll help the world be more ready to tackle whatever’s ahead on the public health front.

Big Tech Companies Can Help Orchestrate Pandemic Strategies

Most people at Big Tech companies don’t have health care or epidemiology backgrounds. However, they do have tremendous resources and industry connections. Those are some of the things that can make tech leaders valuable during the world’s current health crisis and anything the future may bring.