How is technology helping us during the global health crisis?

Ōtautahi  - There is no part of Aotearoa that is unaffected by the covid pandemic lockdown.

But there is one thing we can all be thankful for in these  unprecedented times: technology.

Tech is playing a huge role in helping people overcome the problems they’re experiencing during these tricky times.

In the battle to overcome the global health crisis, we are relying on tech more than ever before.

It is helping us communicate with family, friends – and our working from home. Video calls are so really important for maintaining connections.

The tech in our pocket, which we earlier took for granted, is essential for keeping people in contact even when we are physically apart.

Technology is vital for connecting communities and networks so we can channel our efforts and resources towards a particular goal.

Fintech has been a buzzword for the past decade. Now it is being fully delivered via digital platforms, solutions and cellphones. Banking services continue as normal; it is only the way we access them that has changed.

Mobile and online banking, along with AI-powered chatbots, are allowing businesses and people to keep on top of their finances.

The government’s covid app tracer is helping battle the Delta community spread. Frontline covid workers such as doctors, police, health and sanitation workers, banking staff, security, suppliers of essential commodities have been able to keep going, via tech.

Tech is front and centre of covid testing, vaccination results,  and gauging how the virus might spread.

In times of lockdown, technology has been a saviour. We have been getting groceries on line, which has resulted in a massive surge in users. Covid has transformed online shopping from a nice-to-have to a must-have around the world.

Contactless digital payments, either in the form of cards or e-wallets, are the recommended payment method to avoid the spread of covid.

In education , technologies involved in distant learning are similar to those for remote work and also include virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D printing and artificial-intelligence-enabled robot teachers.

Covid is a word we never heard of at the start of last year. Now we are fighting the invisible Delta enemy.