COVID-19 Outbreak: Why You Need Thermal Camera for Fever Detection
These past few months have been hard for everyone around the globe. Our enemy is invisible, and most of our allies aren’t cooperating with the cause to beat it. As of October 27, 2020, according to this coronavirus case counter, there are almost 44 million cases around the world with more than a million deaths. Despite our best efforts, it’s still rising each day. As the general public, what can we do as our part in the fight?
Many believe screening would help lessen the cases and prevent the spread of the virus, and their idea is feasible. That’s why business owners, public establishments, and transportation areas have decided to scan everyone coming in through a thermal scanner. Not only will this single out those persons with an elevated fever (as fever is a sign of the virus), but prompt treatment can be given to ensure the recovery of the individual as well as contain the virus, killing two birds with one stone. Given it can’t accurately say a person with a fever has COVID-19, it’s still a helpful tool against a nanoscopic enemy.
What Are Thermal Imaging Cameras?
These are electronic devices that detect heat from a source, object, or person. Known as TIC for short, these devices have an integrated monitor display to accurately show the user’s temperature. They have a heat sensor attached to a lens that helps detect thermal energy and determine how hot it is
Thermal Imaging Camera has a lot of uses in many different fields. For example, firefighters use it to detect the source of the fire and see where people are in burning establishments. Many lives saved are all thanks to this tool. On the other hand, it is a necessity for engineers who use it to determine overheating tools and machines and make sure there is no waste in thermal energy. This is to ensure those machines don’t blow up or cause a problem during construction or manufacturing.
Another critical role of this device is detecting temperature. Because of its potential, companies like Athena (site can be found here: https://athena-security.com/temperature-detection) have modified TIC into a more accurate version that focuses on taking body temperature quickly but accurately. With this version, there’s no need to create a long line and take individual temperatures. There’s an excellent risk between the staff and the persons passing by in that scenario. Instead, you only need to set it up, let the passing people pull their masks for a bit to detect their temperature and be on their way.
Due to its versatility as an invention, various establishments have been using it to check temperatures, especially in businesses and public areas open during the COVID-outbreak.
How Do TICs Work?
It might be complicated to go in-depth, but the simplest way to explain how TICs works is to focus more on understanding how it conjures the image we can see. Once the device is pointed at an object or area, the lens will catch any infrared light present in persons and tangible objects. This will be detected by the numerous infrared-detectors to make the colorful image you may observe.
Those colorful images are conjured by a temperature pattern known as a thermogram. This will be converted inside the device and ultimately create a comprehensible picture of colors depending on the heat radiated by the object/person. To know more about how thermograms and TICs work, check out this wiki page, which includes how it is constructed and its uses. The page only explains the basics of Thermal Imaging Cameras, however, and does not detail the ones modified solely for taking the temperature of a living human.
Can It Help Us In Our Fight With COVID-19?
Right off the bat, we’re going to say yes, it does! It may not be as accurate as a swab or as detailed as an interview, but using temperature detector equipment to find potential COVID-19 patients in the crowd is as good as it gets… for now. It helps in a way that makes sure there are no risks taken, no chance for the virus to slip into an area and spread it around. Other than that, here are three main ways to help us in our fight with this pandemic.
1. Detect a high temperature immediately
Using TIC wastes no time in revealing those compromised. Whether it be in a business, a public street, or an airport (which is very much needed for travelers), a thermal imaging camera can almost instantly give you the basal temperature of a person just by analyzing the thermal energy they radiate. People are still advised to pull down their masks briefly to cover all the hot points that usually heat up when there’s a fever involved (e.g., around the eyes, inner canthus, etc.).
It won’t take you more than a few seconds to glance at the monitor and clear the people out for passage. This ensures there would be no clogging in these airports and establishments, which, if it happens, will heighten the possibility of the virus being spread since there is a crowd involved.
2. Maintain a healthy working environment
As a business owner, your employees’ next most important thing, especially this COVID-19, where there are fewer and fewer people willing and able to go out and work. Losing a worker and productivity time due to poorly managed hygiene in the workplace is the greatest mistake you can make today. On the eve of this pandemic, WHO has released policies and rules one should follow when traveling into a compromised area or country. They have also suggested using other solutions with thermal screening, such as COVID-awareness and collection of details for contact-tracing.
3. Reassurance to the public
These thermal imaging cameras aren’t just for show. Remember when they used to save people’s lives through detection in burning buildings? Yeah, they can be a great help in tracing those with COVID too. And through this knowledge, the general public’s morale will increase, and they’ll start to trust the country, business, or establishment once they set foot inside. Since the camera can be placed outside or near the entrance, this will bring in more customers that will prefer some visible effort to protect them, if nothing else.
