(Yicai Global) Feb. 15 -- It is smart of China to use artificial intelligence, data science, and novel technologies to predict and mitigate future outbreaks of Covid-19, according to an American medical expert.

"Even though China has significantly reduced restrictions by eliminating lockdowns for the time being, that does not mean the country is taking a ‘free-for-all’ approach to monitoring,” Jennifer Dunphy, senior vice president of one of Southern California’s largest independent physician associations, wrote in an article on global AI content platform The Yuan recently.

"Officials are developing calculated measures to sophisticatedly track the spread of the virus using new technology and centralized data collection,” Dunphy said. China has recently been doing antibody studies to predict the likelihood of new cases while preparing healthcare workers and health facilities for them. It is useful in planning when to start encouraging people to use face masks, get vaccinated, and practice social distancing, the medical expert added.

China's medical products administration has approved more than 40 antibody detection kits for Covid-19 which can produce results in 10 to 20 minutes to enable wide-scale testing. Although it may not be so convenient for individuals, it can potentially be beneficial to the larger population, Dunphy noted.

The country is using search engine mining and data collection measures such as data mapping to track online activities related to popular search words such as "fever" to make powerful algorithms. Moreover, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention uses analytics to detect new viral variants and discover suspected cases. Since 2020, authorities are also making use of AI-aided infrared temperature measurement systems to screen passenger traffic to detect those who are running a fever.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi