The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit India hard. It has already had an unprecedented effect on people's and businesses' livelihoods.

But that apart, the second wave of Covid 19 has put immense pressure on the Indian healthcare system, which has unfortunately crumbled as a result of the increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths. There has been an acute shortage of beds, oxygen, vaccines, medications, and ventilators among other crucial material. In such a time, the general public of the country has come forward to help Covid affected people and their families in whatever way possible.
While some are leveraging social media to find resources, some are working on the ground to physically help those in need.

In such a time, the tech world, especially startups have stepped up to help during these tough times. Right from donating big sums to organizations working on the field, to running fundraises, and creating tools and solutions to fight the war against Covid, these firms have left no stones unturned to support hundreds of thousands of Indians.

Be it global tech giants such as Google, Facebook, IBM; Indian bigwigs such as Paytm, Zomato, Delhivery, several firms have come forward in this time of national crisis. But other than lending monitory help, a host of tech firms and startups have also been working on creating next gen solutions to help us all fight the deadly second wave of Covid. Here are a few of them.

Althought not a young startup, yet Twitter’s contribution to the fight against Covid wins it an honorary mention. Microblogging platform Twitter recently announced the addition of features such as Twitter Advanced Search, Twitter Near You, and Latest Tweet to help Indians looking for Covid-19 related information.

All across the country, people are using Twitter to find the latest information and access to resources right now and the platform has emerged as one of fastest and most effective ways of disseminating critical information.
“As this people’s movement unfolds, we wanted to remind you of some of the features that could help you find what you’re looking for faster #Covid19IndiaHelp” came a tweet from Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) on April 23, 2021.

Ethereal Machines, based in Bengaluru, has created a one-of-a-kind solution to meet the demand of ventilator usage. A 3D printing ventilator splitter company founded by Kaushik Mudda and Navin Jain in 2014, Etheral Machines is uniquely designed for managing two patients with different ventilatory needs through differential pressure splitting. When two patients need two separate oxygen supplies from the ventilator, these splitters are used. Mudda and Jain collaborated on the device with a team of doctors led by Sonal Asthana of Bengaluru-based Aster Hospitals. The team was able to come up with a device that also helps to avoid cross-contamination between paired patients.

Another startup helping is Sonam Motwani led Karkhana.io. It uses technologies like 3D printing, injection moulding, machining and fabrication to mass-produce PPEs. The Mumbai based company also creates face masks, aerosol boxes, and goggles. The company also provides resources to assist others in the production of PPEs and other ICU equipment including valves, connectors, and ventilator components. According to Karkhana.io, the face shields are reusable if properly disinfected, and the material used in them does not irritate the eyes.

A startup incubated by Kerala Startup Mission, Allabout Innovations has created a system that can reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the air. Wolf Airmask is a machine that produces negative ions that bind to the coronavirus spikes and neutralise the virus. It is the only device in the world that can efficiently generate 100% negative ions over a 1000 sqft and 10,000 cu ft range. It produces no harmful positive ions or ozone to the environment. The Wolf Airmask is also the only system that has been tested for SARS-CoV-2. The system has been accredited by the organisation to be capable of neutralising the COVID viral load in the air and on surfaces by 99.9%. Some viruses and MS2 bacteria have been successfully screened with Wolf Airmask.

PerSapien has designed a mini robot called the ‘Minus Corona UV Bot' to sterilize hospital corridors, wards, ICUs, and patient rooms. It was created by Stanford University researchers Debayan Saha and Shashi Ranjan. The robot accomplishes this by emitting ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 254 nanometers. On the top of a wheeled robotic platform that can be operated remotely, a UV-C lamp is installed.

Helyxon, based in Chennai, has developed OXY 2, a real-time body temperature, heart rate, and oxygen saturation monitoring system that notifies doctors or attendants if any of the parameters change abnormally. Helyxon, which was established by Vijai Shankar Raja, also created the 98.6 Fever Watch. This digital watch uses artificial intelligence (AI) to perform continuous temperature tracking. It also has a function that notifies doctors when a patient's temperature rises.

Gurugram based Staqu, a company that makes face recognition systems, has released a thermal camera that uses artificial intelligence to identify possible Covid-19 positive cases. Normally, the company sells its smart cameras to law enforcement agencies for surveillance purposes.

Chennai-based MedIoTek Health System has unveiled Vincense, a wearable device that continuously monitors pulse rate, oxygen levels, skin temperature, and respiration rate to help relieve the strain on the healthcare system. The data from the system is sent from the wearables to a secure cloud server that a healthcare provider can access at any time via smartphone. VinCense automatically warns doctors and nurses if any of the critical parameters ever exceed the default or user-defined limits.

Intugine Technologies, based in Bengaluru, has created software that allows government officials to track a large number of home quarantined individuals from a single dashboard, ensuring that they are adhering to social distancing norms. So far, Intugine's monitoring technology has been implemented in five nations.

Pulse Active Detection Station is the name given to the kiosks by the Hyderabad-based startup. At these kiosks, a sample collector stands inside the setup to perform tests while wearing a full-body protective suit and other personal protective equipment to avoid contracting coronavirus. Pulse Active Detection Station, founded by Joginder Tanikella, also collects crucial data points related to coronavirus screening from people who come for Covid-19 testing.