Facing a global health crisis that threatened people of all ages and backgrounds, we swiftly spearheaded pioneering solutions that aligned with the SDG of promoting global health and well-being for humanity.
To halt the community spread of the virus, an automated geo-fencing technology has been adopted by the Hong Kong government to monitor and track home confines under quarantine in addition to a smart fever screening system being deployed in the city’s border control points and public venues such as schools and a public library.
Measures put in place to keep the outbreak under control include the deployment of autonomous vehicles that deliver groceries in mainland cities to minimize human contact, and the application of a new antimicrobial formula that can kill a wide spectrum of viruses and bacteria in multiple venues across Hong Kong.
To make early diagnosis and treatment possible, our researchers have come up with a portable detection device that can detect the virus in just 40 minutes, and developed a COVIDep platform to provide immune target recommendations to scientists and CAiRE-COVID, a machine learning based-system to facilitate the medical community to find answers to COVID-related enquiries, in the hope of finding a cure.
Enhancing public health emergency preparedness is key to navigating health threats.
Our public policy experts have shared their insights into scaling up the authorities’ response capacities for disease control through an online seminar co-organized with another university and a research paper published worldwide.
The University is adopting a real-time interactive online teaching mode for all classes for the entire Fall Term 2020/21 in light of the evolving COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong. Multiple contingency plans are also in place to better respond to sudden changes in a timely manner to uphold our commitment to quality education.
To protect Hong Kong’s most vulnerable groups against the coronavirus, HKUST Connect initiated a donation campaign to collect protective supplies and disinfectants, with almost 5,000 pieces of masks and over 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizers distributed to a few NGOs.
Ensuring the health and safety of our students, staff, and alumni remains our priority. A COVID-19 Info@HKUST online platform has therefore been established to provide the University community with all the related information including health advice, university arrangements, and precautionary measures.