COVID-19 Countermeasures and Mitigation Technology and Innovation Use Cases

Countermeasures and Mitigation consists of four of the fifteen capabilities defined in the CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities October 2018 (Updated January 2019) document. The four capabilities are:

Medical countermeasure dispensing and administration is the ability to provide medical countermeasures to targeted population(s) to prevent, mitigate, or treat the adverse health effects of a public health incident, according to public health guidelines. This capability focuses on dispensing and administering medical countermeasures, such as vaccines, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and antitoxins. This capability consists of the ability to perform the functions listed below.

Determine medical countermeasure dispensing/administration strategies
Receive medical countermeasures to be dispensed/administered
Activate medical countermeasure dispensing/administration operations
Dispense/administer medical countermeasures to targeted population(s)
Report adverse events

Medical materiel management and distribution is the ability to acquire, manage, transport, and track medical materiel during a public health incident or event and the ability to recover and account for unused medical materiel, such as pharmaceuticals, vaccines, gloves, masks, ventilators, or medical equipment after an incident. This capability consists of the ability to perform the functions listed below.

Direct and activate medical materiel management and distribution
Acquire medical materiel from national stockpiles or other supply sources
Distribute medical materiel
Monitor medical materiel inventories and medical materiel distribution operations
Recover medical materiel and demobilize distribution operations

Nonpharmaceutical interventions are actions that people and communities can take to help slow the spread of illness or reduce the adverse impact of public health emergencies. This capability focuses on communities, community partners, and stakeholders recommending and implementing nonpharmaceutical interventions in response to the needs of an incident, event, or threat. Non-pharmaceutical interventions may include

Isolation
Quarantine
Restrictions on movement and travel advisories or warnings
Social distancing
External decontamination
Hygiene
Precautionary protective behaviors

This capability consists of the ability to perform the functions listed below.

Engage partners and identify factors that impact nonpharmaceutical interventions
Determine non-pharmaceutical interventions
Implement non-pharmaceutical interventions
Monitor non-pharmaceutical interventions

Responder safety and health is the ability to protect public health and other emergency responders during pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment. This capability consists of the ability to perform the functions listed below.

Identify responder safety and health risks
Identify and support risk-specific responder safety and health training
Monitor responder safety and health during and after incident response

More detailed information about these four capabilities and their associated functions is found in the CDC document.

Autonomous Supply Vehicles
Use of autonomous supply vehicles to transport medical supplies and COVID-19 tests from Mayo Clinic test site in Florida. Reduces medical staff from potential exposure and frees up staff resources to treat and care for patients. Additional information.

Telehealth and Remote Monitoring
The City of Seat Pleasant, MD is deploying a telehealth and remote monitoring platform to support COVID-19 management for its most vulnerable residents through a public private partnership. Remote monitoring is enabled through web-enabled tablets, medical monitoring devices and associated software. Platform provides real-time population health analytics to identify disease incidence, prevalence and outbreaks. Additional information.

Utility Robots
Automates tasks and protects personnel from risk of exposure and infection. Robots used in China.

Robots for detection of masks and body temperature at airports and shopping malls
Robots for disinfecting hospitals

Additional information.

Drones policing and monitoring
Drones equipped with cameras and speakers in China used for a variety of monitoring activities, including:

Facial recognition to track quarantine violators
Mask detection in public places

Additional information.

Home quarantine app
Poland's "Home Quarantine" App makes users periodicaly submit selfies in their house to insure they are not outside. Additional information.

Camera based social distance monitor
Video cameras used to detect and monitor areas where people are, and whether they are maintaining the proper social distance. This can be used in buildings, schools, stores, and wherever people congregate. Additional information.

COVID-19 Screening Website
A life sciences company has created a website that screens for COVID-19, and directs people to local testing locations. This effort supports California’s community based testing program, and is available in four counties. Additional Information.

Volunteer network to help overwhelmed government agencies
A nationwide network of vetted volunteers that is matched to those government organizations in need. Areas of specialty include technology, data, design, operations, communications, project management, and operations. Additional information.

San Leandro Volunteer Portal
The City of San Leandro has launched a new online volunteer hub where community residents may register to serve as a volunteer to assist others in need. Currently, volunteer opportunities will be focused on local food banks or organizations dedicated to helping the community respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information.

Online hubs and dashboards

Covid-19 Mitigation Roadmap engagement and planning platform to provide information and planning for cities and relevant stakeholders.
Online platform for CIO's and city staff to share ideas and information,
Online listing of solutions providers helping cities, governments and businesses deal with the changes due to COVID-19

Community Broadband. In order to reduce COVID-19 exposure, many cities and states have mandatory "Shelter in Place" orders in place. To minimize disruption and to make these orders work, broadband connectivity is needed in order to allow students to continue their studies remotely, as well as allow citizens to work from home without losing productivity. A national telecommunications company is providing the communities that it operates in with access to broadband Internet service. This includes lifting data caps for its existing customers, and access to its nationwide network of hotspots to non-customers. In addition, new customers are given two months of free service. This supports the community, businesses, and others affected. Additional Information.

AWS Diagnostics Development Initiative. Vaccine and treatment development research is generally funded by private foundations and government agencies. However, this approach takes time. This approach is not well suited for the development of fast and reliable diagnostic techniques. Accurate testing and diagnosis at point-of-care or regional locations for patients with COVID-19 is critical to early intervention and treatment. The AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative (DDI) provides support for innovation in rapid and accurate patient testing for 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and other diagnostic solutions to mitigate future outbreaks. This support is in the form of technical support and AWS promotional credits to support the use of AWS services to advance diagnostic research for selected institutions and companies. Additional information.

Capabilities for Covid-19 Countermeasures and Mitigation

Countermeasures Innovation Ecosystem and Use Cases

Countermeasures Community Engagement

Countermeasures Data and Analytics

Countermeasures Technology Infrastructure

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