## 3 Communication Protocols, and IoT Challenges for Pandemic Control  
The current situation demands a deep analysis for a better understanding of humankind's preparation level in facing the SARS-CoV2 virus. This analysis was performed taking into account the informational technologies that can be used and integrated into applications and systems which will allow the flattening of the pandemic evolution curve and can even help eradicate it. Humankind has invested enormously in a variety of technologies that surround us in our daily life, contributing to the increase in its quality, but it seems that in the face of such an enemy we are powerless. The introduction of communication capabilities to simple objects involves the development and implementation of large-scale, high-density complex network topologies. Usually, the wireless sensor devices are distributed over a large geographical area so specialized communication protocols are needed to integrate a large number of devices in the same network. All these protocols must also ensure a high level of performance and be cost efficient. The first challenge when a large-scale patient monitoring system is developed is related to the selection of the communication protocol. Thus, to select the best candidate for the communication protocol, functional requirements of the system must be correlated with the current available technologies. The second step is related to the design and development of a wearable IoT multi-sensor platform that can integrate a multi-sensor approach in a flexible manner, while also considering the power efficiency of the design. Currently, there are all sorts of standards, protocols, and communication mechanisms that promise to solve the main problems raised by the IoT concept like SigFox [17], NB-IoT [18], Symphony Link [19], IEEE 802.15.4 [20], Z-Wave [21], IEEE 802.15.1 [22] and cellular technologies [23]. Table 1 contains a comparison of the main IoT communication protocols that can be implemented in the IoT patient monitoring system. The particularity of the patient monitoring system involves the integration of many sensors that can communicate and are distributed over a large geographical area. The challenges are great considering the small communication distance due to the limited access resources of sensors like processing capabilities, available data storage or limited power sources. At the same time, to ensure the highest possible level of performance, as well as the integration of multiple sensors, it is mandatory that we improve and try to enhance the communication mechanism through intense research while constantly evaluating the possibilities it offers in stopping the current pandemic context. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Application Requirements** & **SigFox** & **NB-IoT** & **Symphony Link** & **IEEE 802.15.4** & **Z-Wave** & **IEEE 802.15.1** & **Cellular Technologies** & **LoRaWAN** \\ \hline Communication range & -4 km & -1 km & -5 km & -150 m & -100 m & -100 m & -1 km & -5–10 km \\ Large-scale scalability & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ & - & - & - & ✓ & ✓ \\ Popularity & ✓ & ✓ & - & - & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ \\ Frequency band & Unlicensed & Licensed & Unlicensed & Unlicensed & Unlicensed & Unlicensed & Licensed & Unlicensed \\ Carrier & - & - & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ & - & ✓ \\ independent & Power & & & & & & & \\ consumption & Low & Medium & Low & Low & Low & High & Low \\ Efficiency & - & - & - & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ & - & ✓ \\ Fast deployment & - & - & - & - & - & ✓ & - & ✓ \\ Cost-effective solution & - & - & - & - & - & ✓ & - & ✓ \\ Resistance to interferences & ✓ & - & - & - & - & ✓ & ✓ & ✓ \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: IoT communication protocols that can be implemented in patient monitoring system.