As large parts of the world go into lockdown
to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus,
tech companies are rallying their troops to join
the battle against COVID-19. From generous
donations to breakthrough innovations, the
biggest players in technology could be the key
to unlocking a vaccine and helping to restore
our world to a more normal state of affairs.
CRISIS MODE
Though news of the coronavirus outbreak
in Wuhan, China has dominated headlines
since January, it was only in March when
governments began to wake up to the stark
reality of what was ahead. Over the past
several weeks, billions of people around the
world have been forced into lockdown, as
governments and healthcare facilities begin to
grapple with one of the greatest challenges the
world has ever faced. The COVID-19 virus has
been declared a pandemic, and whilst death
rates remain low in most nations, without
a cure, there is little that hospitals can do
other than support sick patients on their road
to recovery.
The world’s most renowned epidemiologists and
laboratories are scrambling to develop a vaccine,
and though we are beginning to see positive
signs with governments working together and
vaccines entering clinical trials, it’s unlikely
that we’ll see a vaccine before 2021. In the
meantime, health authorities and companies
are coming forward and acting as crucial
players in response to the crisis, and though the
business world has been decimated with forced
shutdowns and trillions wiped off of global
stock markets already, our technology giants are