Shelter-in-place programs designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 are lifting, but slowly. While the six counties of the San Francisco Bay Area are now easing some restrictions, public health experts warn that life will not go back to normal for some time. When and if a vaccine will arrive remains an open question.
In the midst of these changes, a number of local tech companies are working to address societal blind spots exposed by the pandemic. Many testing labs use slow and outdated data analysis software, for example, while chronic illness patients can’t physically access their usual care without potentially exposing themselves to infection. And as shelter-in-place orders enter a new phase, public health officials still have limited insight into their wider effects.
A survey of initiatives rolled out by San Francisco-based tech companies shows how digital innovation can address some of these problems, with applications that extend beyond our current public health crisis.
Gauging the Public Mood
The company: Evidation Health seeks to help healthcare and biopharma companies understand how the behavior of populations affect health — and vice versa. The company’s research platform ingests and anonymizes behavior data from user devices, speech, video, sensors and surveys. Researchers can then segment and analyze health outcomes and attitudes based on the variables they choose.
How they’re pitching in: Evidation Health has been conducting and publishing the results of surveys designed to gauge public attitudes toward the virus and the measures societies are taking to mitigate its effects. The company has also used wearable device data to determine which communities are practicing more social distancing than others, and even recorded an uptick in the average amount of sleep in many communities.
Evidation has made this data available to public health officials and the media to help measure the effects — and effectiveness — of COVID-19 containment measures.
Collecting Research Resources and Streamlining Lab Processes
The company: Benchling’s software centralizes and standardizes data for life sciences R&D labs, with applications in the creation of antibodies, proteins, cell therapies and, yes, vaccines.
How they’re pitching in: Benchling has rolled out several initiatives that play to its strengths, including the creation of a clearing house for COVID-19-related sequences, protocols, literature and other tools for use by scientists. Recognizing that the creation and deployment of testing kits is a major bottleneck right now, the company is also making its software available to testing labs for free.
The idea is that Benchling’s software — designed to track samples, capture assay data and present results — can increase efficiency for new and existing labs, helping more patients get their results faster.
Recognizing COVID-19’s Impact on Mental Health and Chronic Disease
The company: Omada Health combines behavioral science and data science to help users manage or reduce their risk of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. The company sends users a digital scale that’s wirelessly linked to their individual accounts, and then matches them with a professional health coach and community of peers.
How they’re pitching in: Patients with chronic health conditions are particularly vulnerable as coronavirus-combatting lockdowns force the cancellation of doctor’s appointments, impose restrictions on mobility and disrupt daily routines. To help alleviate the strain on hospital systems, Omada is offering its behavioral health program — designed to help users manage stress, depression and anxiety — for free.
The program works as a benefit for employers to offer their workforces, and its information about secondary medical conditions could help researchers fill gaps in their understanding of COVID-19. The company is also expanding the availability of its do-it-yourself A1C test kits for users with Type 2 diabetes, along with a number of new in-app features designed to meet this particular moment.
