# IoT Technologies during and Beyond COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review
## 4 A Framework of Solutions to Tackle COVID-19 and Emerging Pandemics in the Future Using IoT
### IoT in the healthcare sector  
Healthcare is one of the key sectors that benefited from IoT-inspired solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. These solutions range from wearable solutions to support for emergency services such as paramedics. Even though some of the IoT solutions are not mature enough to deploy on a wider scale, they provided promising usage during the pandemic. This validation will help these applications to mature in the future and be deployed in a wider context with confidence. COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which affects the respiratory system. Research in [32] proposes a wearable strain sensor that measures the volume and respiration rate of the user's respiratory system. These sensors can track and monitor patients' breathing conditions through the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and continuously update the involved doctors of the patient's respiratory condition. This is also time saving, as it is easier for the concerned doctors to make appropriate recommendations remotely. The author of [33] proposes a wearable IoT-based system to detect stress levels. This is an  
Figure 2: IoT applications based on key observations. appropriate solution for people who are suffering from stress, anxiety, and isolation due to the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of contact tracing has proved to be an appropriate solution to protect personal data, while keeping people safe. There are wearable light IoT devices such as Triax Proximity Trace that use contact tracing to address social distancing as it alarms users when they are too close to each other [6]. Enterprise departments can distribute wearable devices that ensure safety regulations without the need for mobile phones or downloads. Tags are sent through Bluetooth technology without the need to track a user's location. In addition, anonymized keys that change every 15 min are used for further privacy protection. The Province of Alberta has introduced contact tracing application for COVID-19. The application confirms positive cases and notifies Canadians who have been near those who have received a positive result [34]. Stanford Children's Health Hospital was able to jump from meeting 20 patients daily to more than 600 patients through a two-way, live telehealth interaction, or \"virtual visit\" [35]. Electronic communications--audio and video--are used to allow interaction between the patients and their consultant or healthcare provider without having to meet in person, which is a viable alternative rather than a mass gathering in the hospital with a chance of virus infection. Another great solution for home-based health monitoring is the smart thermometer, Kinsa. The device can map fever and illness to help users to react faster with the current situation. It also keeps logs of a family's health and their health history, tracks medications and set reminders, and offers friendly features for kids' ease of use. The device connects to the Kinsa App using Bluetooth and extra information can later be sent to the concerned party [36]. During the pandemic, medical staff associated with ambulance services deal with more pressured and tense situations. Ambulance IoT aided equipment provides solutions that are time-efficient, where experts can advise the staff of necessary actions to deal with patients in critical situations [25]. IoT-based Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are great systems to save lives in critical situations. The author of [37] proposes a system that provides real-time information regarding the number of available beds, blood levels of  
Figure 3: IoT Applications and Systems. all types, blood type availability, and doctors' availability. Real-time data can be obtained from the ambulance during major accidents and with multiple casualties. Table 2 summarizes the key IoT applications in this domain, anticipated economic and social impact, predicted timeline for wider adaptation, and Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of the application for wider deployment.