SAN FRANCISCO — Before it was clear just how quickly COVID-19 would spread, Andy Pattison traveled from Geneva to Seattle and San Francisco to meet with tech companies about the emerging threat. The manager of digital solutions for the World Health Organization knew Silicon Valley could play a vital role in fighting the pandemic.
“I said: ‘This is the problem, guys. There’s going to be a real need to use your channels and your technology to help us, and not only us, but the ministries of health and other NGOs in these countries,’” Pattison said. “I made this pitch on a human level to say, ‘Go back to your companies, get ready, start pulling together teams.’”
On Feb. 13, Silicon Valley companies such as Dropbox, smart digital thermometer company Kinsa, and Amazon gathered at Facebook headquarters, where they learned about WHO’s COVID-19 response and shared their ideas to address the outbreak.