As the world struggles to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic, an online competition held in Turkey had more than 1,500 entrepreneurs offer their own takes on efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and lessen the impact of the outbreak.
Held on March 21-22 with an attendance of entrepreneurs and experts, the “Coronathon Turkey” competition fielded more than 150 possible solutions to the coronavirus crisis.
Backed by Turkey’s leading universities and non-governmental organizations, a jury of experts picked 12 projects for the final, before selecting a platform called “Medibook” as the winner of the competition.
According to the organizers, “Medibook” aims to offer a platform for medical personnel to follow up on chronic patients remotely without requiring them to visit hospitals and risk being infected by COVID-19.
Some of the other finalists include:
– “Biotel,” an application that lists all the idle measuring equipment in Turkish universities that could be repurposed for COVID-19 testing.
– CoroWarner, an application that warns the user of potential exposure to the coronavirus if it detects they have been in close proximity to patients who tested positive for the virus.
– Live Studio Courses, a platform for experts to offer live courses on a wide range of topics, from fitness to meditation, to help people better cope with the psychological strains of self-isolation.
– Stay Safe, an application that offers information about the size of crowds in a user’s surroundings using geolocation technology. The app also offers a check-up feature that helps users self-diagnose COVID-19 infections by comparing symptoms.
– Fact-Checker, a self-explanatory app that helps users check the factual accuracy of common coronavirus myths spreading on social media.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), one of the organizers said the competition was organized by a team of 80 members.
“As ‘Coronathon,’ our goal is not to find a cure for the coronavirus but to offer a solution to the social problems it has created. The result of our work has given hope for our country’s fight against the outbreak. It has also helped me realize the true potential of the entrepreneurs in this country,” Berat Kjamili said.
Another organizer, Oğuzhan Aygören, said he and his team wanted to do their share as the world went through unprecedented times.
“We want to both lessen the virus’ devastating effect and to contribute to a change in the world. The solution lies in dropping rivalry and working together against the common enemy,” Aygören said.
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