For most states, the end of March was when stay-at-home orders, school closures, etc. began. It’s now almost 6 months later, and though many states have lifted such orders, no vaccine for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 have been found. In some places, the orders helped “flatten the curve” all the way to zero, and in others, the orders coupled with social distancing practices and PPE adherence have also helped keep the virus at bay. However, and especially in the United States, adherence hasn’t been universal, and the disease is still rampant. And even outside of the U.S., people are starting to get restless and are taking a “this will never end, time to move on” stance, which by most scientific reports is a dangerous stance that will lead to more breakouts and deaths.
Cue big data.
Searching for a vaccine seems to be the only logical step to take now that preventative measures simply aren’t being adhered to by most of the country and a lot of the world (given, some places do not have the resources we have to provide masks and even information regarding the virus). Scientists are quickly moving to create collaborative ways to discuss and analyze big data they are able to receive from all across the globe, thanks to collaboration and shareability.
“The COVID Symptom Tracker”
One of the first uses of big data in the quest for a vaccine was via a phone app where people from all around the world who had contracted the virus were able to share their symptoms and experiences and these experiences were collected in a central hub controlled by “The Covid Symptom Tracker.” The app now has 4 million users, all sharing valuable data with people who can actually use it for good.
One thing the early analyzation of this data determined was that a loss of taste or smell was a better indicator of someone who was likely to test positive than a cough or sneeze, as previously reported. Even this small amount of information allowed for quicker vetting processes at hospitals and heightened caution for healthcare workers when they were dealing with a patient who had, indeed, loss part of their sense of taste or smell.
Hospital Collaboration
As the symptom tracker is primarily used by individuals outside of the healthcare scope (employment-wise, anyway), another initiative is being conducted that pools data from hospitals all across the United States in order to take a more “professional” approach to collecting and analyzing the data. The National COVID Cohort is recruiting hospitals to share, not only their COVID-related data, but data from other coronaviruses of the past, and related viruses, such as SARS.
Sharing secure electronic health information with a literal nationwide database that is utilizing artificial intelligence to quickly compare and contrast symptoms for those hospitalized for COVID-19. The collaborative effort is also collecting data on those who thought they might be positive, but were not, in an attempt to help dial-down the amount of people going to the hospital or testing sites. With better symptom recognition, more nurses can be used to give aid, rather than to determine sicknesses.
Okay, but What About the Vaccine?
Well, even the data mentioned above that is primarily being used to determine how to best identify cases, in an attempt to maximize nurses’ time and efforts is also being used by teams looking for vaccines. Being able to trace the hotspots and larger outbreaks allows for more knowledge in how the virus spreads, allowing for more knowledge on how to stop the virus from spreading.
Using these same medical records that the collaborative efforts for identifying the disease are using, can allow scientists to determine what procedures/drugs/etc. that already exist are helping combat the disease, even if only a little bit. Any step in the right direction regarding symptom control is a step towards a vaccine. Being able to couple all of this real-world data with the data that many scientists across the globe are creating as they test possible vaccines (most of this data is also collaboratively shared).
Other Ways Data is Helping
As the vaccine process continues, keeping an educated public is important for keeping a rampant disease at bay. Using a more historic use for data, akin to Google Analytics, the CDC and other relevant bodies can keep track of what Americans are searching when they try to look up vaccines in an attempt to thwart any “fake cures” from finding their way back to the mainstream, such as hydroxychloroquine did a few months ago.
Just as the list of ways data is utilized in our everyday lives is enormous, so is the list of ways it is helping with developing a vaccine or at least helping keep this horrible virus at bay.
