The Use of Zipline Drones Technology for COVID-19 Samples Transportation in Ghana
Abstract
Drone technology has a wide range of general applications in the military, agriculture, data processing, security, and healthcare. The emergence of the novel coronavirus pandemic has accelerated its revolution in the healthcare industry. Ghana, a western African country, was the first to program and deploy automated drones to shuttle medical supplies and samples of suspected COVID-19 patients. With this approach, Ghana was able to quickly respond to the pandemic and save the lives of the general population. This paper presents a narrative study on the use of Zipline drones for transporting samples of suspected COVID-19 patients, highlighting the challenges and potential barriers encountered.
Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2020-01-02-03
Full Text: PDF
Keywords
References
World Health Organization. (2020). Social Stigma associated with COVID-19: A guide to preventing and addressing. WHO, 1–5. Available online: https://who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/covid19-stigma-guide.pdf (accessed on February 2020).
COVID-19 Map (2020). Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Corornavirus Resource Center. Available online: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/ (accessed on February 2020).
Gilbert, M., Pullano, G., Pinotti, F., Valdano, E., Poletto, C., Boëlle, P.-Y., … Colizza, V. (2020). Preparedness and vulnerability of African countries against importations of COVID-19: a modelling study. The Lancet, 395(10227), 871–877. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30411-6.
Pankhania, B. (2020). Who is most at risk of contracting coronavirus? Guardian News & Media, London, United Kingdom. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/21/who-is-most-at-risk-of-contracting-coronavirus (accessed on February 2020).
Sibiri, H., Zankawah, S. M., & Prah, D. (2020). Coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) response: Highlights of Ghana's scientific and technological innovativeness and breakthroughs. Ethics Med Public Health, 14, 100537. doi:10.1016/j.jemep.2020.100537.
Elena, M. and Emmanouilidou, R. (2020). In fight against coronavirus, Ghana uses drones to speed up testing. The World. Available online: https://theworld.org/stories/2020-04-23/fight-against-coronavirus-ghana-uses-drones-speed-testing (accessed on February 2020).
Baker, A. (2020). Drones Are Delivering COVID-19 Tests in Ghana. Could the US Be Next?. TIME USA, LLC. Available online: https://time.com/5824914/drones-coronavirus-tests-ghana-zipline/ (accessed on February 2020).
de León, R. (2020). Zipline begins drone delivery of Covid-19 test samples in Ghana. CNBC Disruptor, NBC Universal. Available online: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/20/zipline-begins-drone-delivery-of-covid-19-test-samples-in-ghana.html (accessed on February 2020).
Chester, M., & Horvath, A. (2012). High-speed rail with emerging automobiles and aircraft can reduce environmental impacts in California’s future. Environmental Research Letters, 7(3), 034012. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/7/3/034012.
Giones, F., & Brem, A. (2017). From toys to tools: The co-evolution of technological and entrepreneurial developments in the drone industry. Business Horizons, 60(6), 875–884. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2017.08.001.
Fabian, C. (2017). Malawi’s Unique Drone Corridor the Government of Malawi and UNICEF test drones to improve children’s lives, Office of Innovation, UNICEF. Available online: https://www.unicef.org/innovation/drones/malawi-unique-drone-corridor (accessed on February 2020).
U.S. Embassy in Georgia. (2020). U.S. company uses drones to deliver COVID-19 tests in Ghana (2020). Available online: https://ge.usembassy.gov/u-s-company-uses-drones-to-deliver-covid-19-tests-in-ghana-may-12/ (accessed on February 2020).
Ministry of Health. (2020). Signs MoU to deploy drone technology for efficient health delivery. Ghana Health Service, Ghana.
Ackerman, E., & Koziol, M. (2019). The blood is here: Zipline's medical delivery drones are changing the game in Rwanda. IEEE Spectrum, 56(5), 24-31. doi:10.1109/MSPEC.2019.8701196.
DOI: 10.28991/HIJ-2020-01-02-03
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2020 Emmanuel Lamptey, Dorcas Serwaa
