Artificial intelligence has been vital in controlling the spread of the coronavirus in the Arabian Gulf, a health conference has been told.
Technology has forecast the pandemic’s development and informed residents when they have been in contact with infected individuals, the Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit heard.
The summit was also told that the rapid growth in telemedicine – such as video or telephone consultations – is not likely to be reversed when the pandemic is over.
However, experts cautioned that organisations were not doing enough to share vital data that could save lives and certain ethical concerns about the use of data had not been resolved.
Dr Esam Al Wagait, director of Saudi Arabia’s National Information Centre, said the Kingdom’s artificial intelligence (AI) based Covid-19 Index had been crucial in forecasting the virus’s spread locally, including which areas would be most heavily affected and how many people would fall ill. “It helps decision-makers,” he said. “We need to understand how many people will need help in an area, how many healthcare workers will be needed and how many medicines we [should] buy. To do the proper preparation, we need a proper prediction model.”
He highlighted two mobile phone apps developed by the Saudi Arabian authorities, Tawakkalna and Tabaud, which were, for example, informing residents when they have been in contact with infected individuals and warning them if they were near areas with high infection rates.
Globally, AI-based technologies have become vital in diagnosis, such as in determining if a person’s cough is characteristic of Covid-19. But Dr Al Wagait said there was much room for improvement in how data was used.
We are not realising the full potentual of AI. We are being reactive and not proactive
“When it comes to prediction, there’s an issue of a lack of good quality data,” he said. “We’re not realising the full potential of AI. We’re being reactive and not proactive.”
Data may not be complete because organisations work in “silos” and fail to share data. The conference also heard there were many unresolved issues around AI, such as ethical concerns over privacy, and liability issues if technology misdiagnosed illnesses.
It is not just healthcare data that can improve medical services, the conference was told. Information such as global flight patterns and data on animal and insect populations can also identify how diseases emerge or spread.
Data from outbreaks of other diseases, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers), can be useful in understanding patterns of coronavirus spread, according to another delegate.
Dr Chiara Poletto, of the Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health in Paris, said patterns of Mers infections in areas such as Europe were used to determine what the situation had been like where the disease originated.
“We could provide some assessment of the situation in the Middle East,” she said.
Similar techniques were subsequently employed by researchers outside China to infer coronavirus infection rates in Wuhan, where the pandemic originated.
The summit itself was an indication of how digital technology can be used to share healthcare information faster to larger numbers of people.
Instead of having hundreds of conference delegates visit the Saudi Arabian capital, it involved participants across the globe delivering lectures to thousands said to be watching online, with just a small number participating from a Riyadh conference centre.
Organised by, among others, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs, the event ended with the announcement of the “Riyadh Declaration”, a “call to action” to share best practices in digital healthcare and real-time high-quality data. This was important, the declaration said, in creating resilient healthcare systems better able to cope with future pandemics.
Another issue to come under the spotlight was the growth during the pandemic of telemedicine, the diagnosis of illness using telecommunications technology.
Dr Louise Schaper, chief executive of the Australasian Digital Health Institute, said healthcare systems had seen “dramatic increases” in such remote working.
“We’re undergoing a paradigm shift,” she said. “Healthcare that was once delivered in … surgeries and hospitals will increasingly reach us consumers over the phone, over a video, over an app, in a retail clinic or in people’s homes.”
As well as acknowledging such rapid changes meant that clinicians often “felt burdened”, she also said they would create upheaval for healthcare organisations, all of which would have to “rewrite their business plan”.
There would, Dr Schaper said, be more “virtual-only” healthcare providers, which have sometimes sparked controversy.
Another concern over the growth of telemedicine was inequality, as some lack access to the technologies involved and so risk receiving poorer care.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
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Dust storm
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- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
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Prostate checks: 5
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The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
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Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
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Porsche Macan T: The Specs
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On sale: May or June
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ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Persuasion
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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