How as a medtech startup we’re staying up-to-date on COVID-19

As a medtech startup that’s focused on improving collaboration between medical professionals, we know what’s happening around the world of healthcare. The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has been making global headlines, and companies and people are understandably concerned about how to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy. While we have the luxury of working alongside medical professionals who can instruct us on how to stay informed, educated, and safe, this is uncharted territory for other startups. 

We realise that the global situation is developing by the day, so we’re doing our best to stay on top of recent news. To help management teams and individuals stay better informed we’ve compiled a list of resources we are using to keep ourselves informed and healthy, and thought that others might benefit from it as well. 

Overview of the novel coronavirus

Our CEO, Joost Bruggeman, has been diligent in keeping our team aware of best practices to keep safe. As a doctor himself, he shares quick updates via our organisation Tile on the latest news regarding the novel coronavirus, what’s being done to combat it, and some basic information for those of us who are less medically trained!

Some basic facts: the virus’s medical name is ​“Sars-Cor-V-02”. Symptoms are similar to the flu: runny nose, sneezing and coughing, muscle aches, fever, chills, and fatigue. Presentation can be mild. Mortality rate is currently calculated as 2 – 3% (subject to change), and transmission occurs through bodily fluids from 1 infected person to 2 – 3 others, as opposed to the 1‑to‑1 transference with the common flu.

Here are a few trusted resources recommended by Joost and members of our medical network:

• WHO Novel Coronavirus
• CDC nCoV Situation Summary
• Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu
• Bundesministerium für Gesundheit
• RebelEM
• Barcelona Institute for Global Health
• John Hopkins
• Ten pressing questions about coronavirus, answered by experts

Staying Healthy

Siilo is a startup, so we’re working in close quarters and constantly visiting each other’s desks to collaborate on projects. Meetings are part of our daily routines. Therefore, it’s important for everyone to practice standard tactics to prevent any spread within our office.

In general, we should be trying to get a good night’s rest, a healthy diet with a high intake of Vitamin C, and an adequate amount of exercise to keep our immune systems healthy. Maintaining good health while you have it will make you less susceptible to falling ill in the first place!

We encourage our team to follow these techniques to stay healthy: wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, for a minimum of 20 seconds! Maintain a social distance: don’t stand too close during conversation if you can avoid it. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow, and wash your hands right after. If you are presenting symptoms, stay home from work and try to avoid interacting with at-risk individuals like people over 60 or those already suffering from respiratory illnesses.

For further advice, read here:

• Basic Protective Measures Against the New Coronavirus: WHO Advice for the Public
• Coronavirus information: How to stay safe: BBC Health
• Surfaces? Sneezes? Sex? How the Coronavirus Can and Cannot Spread
• 8 Questions Employers Should Ask About Coronavirus

Remote Work

As a tech startup, remote work is absolutely part of our DNA. In fact, we offer four weeks of remote work per year to our employees so that they can get their work done where they’re most productive. While the current situation doesn’t deduct from this benefit, the tips our colleagues share around maintaining productivity while remote still apply! 

Do your best to set up a separate workspace at home and appropriate boundaries to stay on task. Be transparent about your schedule with both your family members and your colleagues. Organise with colleagues on which communication tools you will use.

Check out more remote work methods:

• Emergency Remote Work Kits from LogMeIn
• Watershed Moment for Remote Work – Forbes
• How Businesses Grapple with Remote Work – New York Times
• How to Stay Productive at Home – CNN

The coronavirus situation is still evolving worldwide but we are doing our best to continue helping hospitals, care organisations, and independent medical professionals stay connected, agile, and secure. Our mission remains to improve patient care through network medicine no matter the circumstance, and we hope this information helps teams, medical or otherwise, stay healthy and productive.