Pakistani Engineers and Doctors Develop AI-Based Software To Help Detect COVID-19 In Under One Minute
Scientists and doctors from Pakistan have worked together in a joint effort to develop a COVID-19 detecting software. The software uses an AI engine to analyze the X-ray of patients in real-time. The AI software uses algorithms to compare the X-rays with those of COVID patients to predict the presence or absence of the virus in the body.
Science Diplomacy Pakistan, a specialized division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also sent out a tweet regarding the same on Saturday.
Kudos to NECOP and Pakistani scientists for developing ‘COVRAID’ an AI based diagnostic software to detect COVID-19. Pakistan stands ready and willing to explore collaborations and partnerships to share this technology with the world (1/2)#Innovation #AI4Health #PakistanScience pic.twitter.com/t0X1MByPv8
— Science Diplomacy Pakistan (@SciDipPak) November 20, 2020
‘COV-RAID’ accuracy is more than 90%. It is an extremely cost-effective and universally accessible diagnostic tool that saves the most important resource of all time.
In a tweet from their official handle, Science Diplomacy Pakistan congratulated the National Electronics Complex of Pakistan (NECOP) and the country’s scientists on developing this tool.
Approved by DRAP, and with an accuracy of more than 90%, COV-RAID can provide results in less than a minute- serving as a cost effective and universally accessible diagnostic tool (2/2)https://t.co/lERinbDlms pic.twitter.com/2L7rV1xgtc
— Science Diplomacy Pakistan (@SciDipPak) November 20, 2020
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It said Pakistan was ready to explore collaborations and partnerships to share this technology with the world.
The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has conducted a trial of COV-RAID detection of coronavirus. It uses chest X-rays which are then analyzed using artificial intelligence, the National Command and Operating Centre said.
Science Diplomacy Initiative
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs owns the ‘Science Diplomacy’ webpage and the specialized department is a part of an effort to increase its contribution to the global scientific landscape. The Ministry can create synergies for international scientific cooperation using this platform.
A data repository of chest X-rays has been created to fine-tune the diagnostic software’s ability and more data is being directly fed into the system to improve itself. Furthermore, it can help identify coronavirus symptoms in patients, as per the COV-RAID website.
The software can utilize chest X-ray images of millions of coronavirus patients and compare that to millions of ‘healthy’ x-ray samples and the AI engine can detect whether the person has the virus or not.
The system is self-sufficient and will only improve with time and more tests. The COV-RAID is an out-of-the-box approach to detecting the virus.
COV-RAID can be used at isolation centers for the prognosis of patients to monitor their way towards recovery. This way the elusive coronavirus kits and the testing capacity problem will be totally solved. Moreover, millions of tests can be done in a day and anyone infected can be separated from the public.
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The system has been approved by DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan). Developers are being approached by various countries to help control the coronavirus.
