Here’s How Tech Is Helping Regular Folk Save Lives
It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has millions feeling helpless and lost, and for good reason. All of the usual anchors that hold our lives together — jobs, classes, routines — have unravelled at once. We’re left agape as many governments struggle to hold back the flood of illness, death, and economic freefall. It’s like watching a handful of hapless folks try to bail out the Titanic with a bucket.
The overwhelming need can be seen in every realm — healthcare, education, and food production, to name a few. Fortunately, there’s also been a surge in civic undertaking of these massive challenges. Companies both large and small have rallied to provide solutions, repurposing factories and production lines to make ventilator parts, face masks, even ready-to-go rooms that can be attached to existing ICUs. Universities, such as Cornell and CU Denver, have dedicated facilities and staff to the task of creating personal protective equipment (PPE) and other hospital gear.
But what’s been even more extraordinary has been the swarms of regular people who are tackling these same problems despite their access to far less resources. Strangers are working shoulder to shoulder (figuratively speaking) to save lives across borders and distances. Private initiatives are tackling problems as diverse as providing PPE and ventilators to…
