{"id":3785,"date":"2020-04-01T17:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T17:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/?p=3785"},"modified":"2020-10-07T19:00:21","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T19:00:21","slug":"when-mental-health-goes-digital-q1-2020-special-covid19-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/2020\/04\/01\/when-mental-health-goes-digital-q1-2020-special-covid19-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"When Mental Health Goes Digital ~ Q1 2020 ~ Special ***COVID~19 *** Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n(I claim no rights to any of the images I have used, those rights belong to the copyrighted owner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Times of such great global strife and uncertainty show us just how interconnected we are as a species on this Earth. The Covid-19 pandemic is not only a test of our responsiveness and resilience but also, a test of our collective humanity \u2014 how we treat and take care of each other.<\/p>\n

More and more we are restricting travel, quarantining cities and towns, closing schools, restricting public gatherings, cancelling or postponing events, closing businesses or switching workspaces to remote work and minimizing all direct social contact, meanwhile, the stock markets are plummeting, food and supplies are becoming scarce, medical systems are at risk of being overwhelmed and it is easy to feel that the glass is hazy, cloudy and barely half full.<\/p>\n

It is easy for us to want to descend into places of fear, panic, loathing and catastrophic worse-case scenarios as a response. Anxiety, fear and panic release Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Endorphins. You can catch and ride those waves without even knowing you are doing so. Remember, though, that\u00a0COMPASSION, GRATITUDE, KINDNESS<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0EMPATHY<\/strong>\u00a0release the same chemicals. And while it can be easy to fall into negative places and mindsets, we should all do our best to avoid doing so as they are counterproductive and lower our mindfulness and connectivity to ourselves and to others.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 global pandemic is obviously a pretty serious matter, as is its impact on local and global economies. Everything is interconnected economically from the sourcing of products and goods to their consumption. Businesses of every type will be affected over the course of this continuing global crisis.<\/p>\n

What does that all mean for the technology startup world and, more specifically, healthcare and transformative technology funding?<\/p>\n

Investments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sequoia Capital has sounded the alarm and is calling the \u201cCorona Virus the Black Swan of 2020<\/a>.\u201d \u201cBlack swans\u201d are rare, unexpected events that have a massive impact and heavily influence global activity.<\/p>\n

It is most definitely going to be rough seas funding-wise as we navigate through the coming storm,\u201cVC giant Sequoia Capital has warned its portfolio companies to brace for the impact of the coronavirus, including by revising their spending plans.<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

In order to survive the storm and the inevitable aftermath we must all hope for the best but prepare for the worst.<\/p>\n

Startups with a hardware product and or software services having the ability to help in the midst of the storm or those that can provide assistance in the aftermath of the pandemic should fare better than most.<\/p>\n

Philanthropy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the world of philanthropy, \u201cBillions have been committed worldwide to contain the virus and address its fallout, much of that money from governments, the World Bank and other international organizations, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lori Bezahler the CEO of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation \u201cPhilanthropy must adapt quickly to this crisis. Our grantees need us to respond immediately in this time of global health concern, financial strain, and increased uncertainty<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter Diamandis from the XPRIZE Foundation<\/a>\u00a0knows that the news surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic is not all bad. His team has researched, and fact checked the following positive news about the global pandemic.<\/p>\n

(1) Vaccine development:<\/strong>\u00a0An experimental vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. began the first stage of a clinical trial on Monday, with testing on 45 healthy adults in Seattle. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(2) China\u2019s new cases plummet:<\/strong>\u00a0China has now closed down its last temporary hospital built to handle COVID-19. Not enough new cases to warrant them. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(3) Drugs that work:<\/strong>\u00a0Doctors in India have successfully treated two Italian patients with COVID-19, administering a combination of drugs \u2014 principally Lopinavir and Ritonavir, alongside Oseltamivir and Chloroquine. Several are now suggesting the same medical treatment, on a case-by-case basis, globally. [link<\/a>] [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(4) Antibodies to the rescue:<\/strong>\u00a0Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center claim to have found an antibody that can fend off infection by COVID-19. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(5) 103-year-old recovery:<\/strong>\u00a0A 103-year-old Chinese woman has made a full recovery from COVID-19 after being treated for 6 days in Wuhan, China, becoming the oldest patient to beat the disease. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(6) Stores re-opening:<\/strong>\u00a0Apple has reopened all 42 of its Apple retail stores in China. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(7) Test results in 2 hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Cleveland\u2019s MetroHealth Medical Center has developed a COVID-19 test that can now deliver results in just two hours, rather than in a matter of days. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(8) South Korea\u2019s dramatic drop in new cases:<\/strong>\u00a0After its peak of 909 newly reported COVID-19 cases on February 29th, South Korea has now seen a dramatic drop in the number of new cases reported daily. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(9) Mortality rates inflated?<\/strong>\u00a0Experts predict that Italy has seen a higher mortality rate of COVID-19 given its significant aging population, as well as its higher percentage of COVID-19 patients with pre-existing health conditions. This might suggest that COVID-19\u2019s fatality rate may have been slightly more inflated than previously thought for the general population. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(10) Israeli vaccine development:<\/strong>\u00a0More than 50 scientists in Israel are now working to develop a vaccine and antibody for COVID-19, having reported significant breakthroughs in understanding the biological mechanism and characteristics of the novel coronavirus. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(11) Full recoveries:<\/strong>\u00a0Three patients in Maryland who tested positive for COVID-19 have now been reported to have \u201cfully recovered.\u201d [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(12) Isolated virus:<\/strong>\u00a0A network of Canadian scientists isolated the COVID-19 virus, which can now be replicated to test diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(13) Yet another vaccine in the works:<\/strong>\u00a0San Diego biotech company Arcturus Therapeutics is developing a COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with Duke University and National University of Singapore. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(14) Treatment protocols:<\/strong>\u00a0Seven patients who were treated for COVID-19 at Jaipur\u2019s Sawai Man Singh (SFS) Hospital and Delhi\u2019s Safdarjung Hospital in India have recovered. The treatment protocol will be widely scaled to other hospitals. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

(15) Another treatment:<\/strong>\u00a0Plasma from newly recovered COVID-19 patients (involving the harvesting of virus-fighting antibodies) holds promise for treating others infected by the virus. [link<\/a>]<\/p>\n

The Path Forward:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is always better to be safe than sorry and according to\u00a0AngelList Sequoia Capital has outlined the following<\/a>\u00a0to their portfolio companies:<\/p>\n