It has been almost a full year since the COVID-19 pandemic fully took hold in the United States and completely changed the way we live our lives. While, at times, it felt like it would last forever, we are now beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. In recent months, both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been approved by the FDA and the process to get “needles into arms” is in full swing.
This journey to get everyone in the country vaccinated is a long and complicated one, however, and as we wait for the process to be completed in earnest, it is important that the virus is mitigated as much as possible. And, perhaps surprisingly, unlicensed spectrum and access to high-speed Wi-Fi contribute greatly to slowing the spread.
For instance, one of the keys to virus mitigation has always been easy-to-access COVID-19 testing. To this point, the FDA just recently approved an at-home COVID test that allows users to get immediate results by doing a nasal swab and dropping it into a Bluetooth-connected device, which syncs with a phone app and gives results within 96% accuracy in minutes. Unlicensed spectrum fuels the test functionality in two ways: connecting the device to a phone through Bluetooth and then connecting the phone to the app’s server via at-home Wi-Fi. The Ellume Covid Home Test is only $30 and saves users from having to venture out to a testing facility to take the test and receive their results.
Access to high-quality, high-speed Wi-Fi has also been vital to helping meet healthcare needs throughout the duration of the pandemic. With hospitals across the country overwhelmed with the number of patients (both COVID and non-COVID), Wi-Fi has supported pop-up clinics, testing sites, vaccine sites and beyond over the past 10+ months. FierceWireless has a running tracker of the types of resources that have helped keep the healthcare industry afloat amidst the crisis.
Finally, Wi-Fi has also obviously been incredibly important to telehealth as millions of Americans—especially in rural and otherwise underserved areas—prefer to receive medical consultation on a remote basis. In a world in which simply going outside can pose a health risk, the ability to connect with a doctor online has been a welcome option for countless Americans.
With each day, we are inching closer to getting past this virus that has paralyzed our nation over much of the last 365 days. As we enter this final stretch, however, Wi-Fi and unlicensed technologies will be absolutely essential to both mitigation and ultimately eradication of COVID-19.