FRONT LINE: TECH GIANTS JOIN FIGHT AGAINST OUTBREAK

As large parts of the world go into lockdown to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, tech companies are rallying their troops to join the battle against COVID-19. From generous donations to breakthrough innovations, the biggest players in technology could be the key to unlocking a vaccine and helping to restore our world to a more normal state of affairs.

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CRISIS MODE

Though news of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China has dominated headlines since January, it was only in March when governments began to wake up to the stark reality of what was ahead. Over the past several weeks, billions of people around the world have been forced into lockdown, as governments and healthcare facilities begin to grapple with one of the greatest challenges the world has ever faced. The COVID-19 virus has been declared a pandemic, and whilst death rates remain low in most nations, without a cure, there is little that hospitals can do other than support sick patients on their road to recovery.

The world’s most renowned epidemiologists and laboratories are scrambling to develop a vaccine, and though we are beginning to see positive signs with governments working together and vaccines entering clinical trials, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a vaccine before 2021. In the meantime, health authorities and companies are coming forward and acting as crucial players in response to the crisis, and though the business world has been decimated with forced shutdowns and trillions wiped off of global stock markets already, our technology giants are putting their money where their mouth is and supporting our planet.

Canceled conferences, restricted travel and plummeting consumer confidence resulting in freefalling demand for products have naturally rocked Silicon Valley, with many of the biggest companies in the sector