Robot Helps Treat Patient with Wuhan Coronavirus

There are still a lot of questions surrounding Wuhan coronavirus. It’s not clear just how contagious or how lethal the virus is. We don’t know just how many people have Wuhan coronavirus (experts believe current reports are far too low). We also don’t know exactly how the virus started; the current theory is that Wuhan coronavirus originated, or was introduced and spread, by trading wild animals at a wet market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. However, we do know that the virus is related to the same family of viruses responsible for SARS and MERS outbreaks. We also know that limiting exposure to the virus reduces the risk of spreading the virus. That is why a U.S. hospital is using a robot to treat a patient with Wuhan Coronavirus.

U.S. hospital uses a robot to treat a patient with coronavirus

The first person to be diagnosed with Wuhan coronavirus in the United States is being treated by a robot at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington.

Kind of.

The robot helps take the patient’s vitals and allows the doctors to communicate with the patient remotely through a display screen. Nursing staff must move the robot around the room.

The hospital has quarantined the patient who is being treated in a room away from other parts of the hospital. The hospital recently established protocols to provide treatments for high risk patients while lowering the risk of spreading disease to hospital staff and other patients at the hospital.

At the time of this writing, 106 people have died from the virus — all of them in China. There are five confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus in the U.S. and another 15 confirmed cases outside of the U.S. and China.

Why use a robot to treat a patient?

This demonstrates one of the main benefits of automation; it removes humans from potentially harmful situations. You see this is in manufacturing all the time.  Machines do the heavy lifting and repetitive tasks that could injure workers. Factory robots work with hazardous chemicals in extreme temperatures with poor air quality. They can work alongside other machines and they don’t get sick. In other words, they keep humans safe from harm.

Factory robots only improve factory safety if they are functioning properly, though. Poorly maintained or malfunctioning machinery actually increase the risk of harm to workers. Make sure your machines sty safe and operate efficiently. Call 479-422-0390 for professional Indramat maintenance, inspection, and repair.