With every passing day, the number of COVID-19 Pandemic-infected individuals is skyrocketing across the world. And as of July 2020, this number is more than 5 billion already.

The sudden increase in the cases of infections and deaths has given rise to a need for storing the related medical data efficiently so that it can be analyzed for research purposes. This calls for adopting appropriate storage technologies.

Which storage technology is the best in storing medical records during the pandemic?

Big data is one such technology with the help of which researchers can store the data securely. With the power of big data, one can also harness the sheer volume of data which can reveal insights and patterns of the viral infection. The data can also be analyzed to forecast and prevent any such pandemics again.

Starting from the number of death and infections worldwide to the number of patients who have successfully recovered, every little detail is part of big data. This information is crucial in helping medical facilities to identify cases faster and allocate resources accordingly when the pandemic is already going on.

In which sectors can big data be applied to battle the pandemic?

Take a look at the areas of application as well as the big data functionalities in these areas –

Identifying new infection cases

• As mentioned above, big data comes with its astounding power of storing truckloads of data, so undoubtedly it can safely record this data.
• Big data can then run further analysis on the datasets to identify newly infected individuals and the risk rate they possess.

Tracking out individual travel histories

• People who have recent travel histories should be investigated.
• Big data can then be put to work to find out whether these people or the people who came in close contact with them have contracted the virus.

Spotting fever-like symptoms

• Big data can be used to specifically store the data of individuals who reported fever-like symptoms.
• By studying the intensity of these symptoms, big data can decide whether the patient needs medical attention.

Identifying the virus

• Big data can reveal whether a particular person has been infected even before he/she starts displaying any notable symptoms.
• It can also assist researchers in identifying any persons who have a risk of getting infected in the future.

How big data can help the health sector?

On the whole, big data assists medical practitioners, epidemiologists and scientists to make informed decisions using actionable insights to beat the impact of the virus. With the help of the advanced analysis, the health sector can get to know the impact of the virus in a particular area or community too. By collaborating big data with other techniques like AI, scientists can lead us to the innovation of new treatment techniques.

Big data analytics will act as a medium of tracking, tackling, and preventing pandemics in the future. Additionally, it can also facilitate vaccine development to drive successful human trials and block out the distress from the world.