Supporting technolgies during a time of crisis

Since the end of 2019 the virus SARS-CoV-2 affected lives everywhere. Spreading allaround the world, the virus created a global pandemic: Over 100 million people have been infected with the virus already. Measurements to stop chains of infection and therefor reduce the speed of the spreading are being enforced globally.

A wide prevention to control the number of infections is based on two main actions:

Keeping distance as the easiest and most effective instrument against new infections

Due to the fact, that SARS-CoV-2 mainly spreads through droplets in midair, keeping at least 1,5 meters distance from other people is on one hand easily realizable and on the other hand a highly effective measure against infections.

What is Social Distancing?

Social Distancing means to reduce the number of personal contact to a minimum to embank the infectious disease. That is to limit personal encounters to a few, familiar persons, avoid big gatherings and always keep a safety distance of at least 1.5 meters.

Contact tracing to stop existing chains of infection

To disrupt existing chains of infection quickly and early a continuing and detailed observation of the rate of new infections is indispensable. From that there must be a systematic identification, isolation and testing of potentially infected persons. This task takes a considerable amount of time and effort from all employees of health offices.

What is Contact Tracing?

Contact Tracing implies the backtracking of people, who have been in contact with infected patients. It is an important action to minimize the spreading of Covid-19 by interrupting chains of infection. You are considered a contact person after being in face-to-face contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes or once you stayed in a room for a longer period of time with that person.

Based on this problem it becomes self-evident to use technological resources to observe the following of distancing regulations and to trace contacts. Due to this, Fraunhofer IIS developed expertise and technologies to support social distancing and contact tracing.