The Federal government and other entities are adjusting to and planning for the impact of the spreading COVID-19 coronavirus. Here’s a quick look at some of the top developments of interest to the Federal IT community:
Social Distancing Will Continue for ‘Several Weeks,’ Fauci Predicts
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said that Americans should expect to continue social distancing and isolation for the next several weeks. “I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now, it’s going to be over,” he said on the Today Show March 20. “I don’t think there’s a chance of that. I think it’s going to be several weeks.” During the interview, Fauci went on to urge for more efforts on mass coronavirus testing but added that the U.S. is “really now very much in the right direction, flooding the system with [tests].”
FedRAMP PMO Goes Virtual
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Program Management Office (PMO) is fully operational in a “virtual capacity” despite the coronavirus outbreak. “The health and well-being of the FedRAMP community remain our top priorities,” the office said in a March 20 email to the FedRAMP community.
Innovators Sharing Open Source, 3D Printed Medical Supplies
Spurred by an Open Source COVID-19 Medical Supplies Facebook Group, innovators have created a protype for an affordable, 3D-printed ventilator to combat low supplies. As the Irish Health Services Executive prepare to review the blueprint and device, the 3D printing expert at the University College Dublin who spearheaded the project, Colin Keogh, confirmed to the Irish Times that they have six protypes ready. “Developed countries may be able to cope with Covid-19, but emerging nations may find it that much harder to overcome. So our overarching goal is to develop a functional medical device that will be certified for use in extreme emergencies,” Keogh said.
Splunk Tracks Global COVID-19 Trends and Patterns
Software company Splunk launched a coronavirus trends and patterns dashboard displaying available data about the number of confirmed cases, deaths, and recoveries over time. “Our goal with the Splunk COVID-19 Dashboard is to help leaders bring data to every potential response to best ensure public safety … In the face of fear and concern, I remain positive about the power of data to help shape a better world,” President and CEO Doug Merritt said in a blog post. The dashboard includes interactive feature through the platform GitHub where anyone can upload their own data and populate visualizations.
