Work-from-home policies, social distancing and government lockdowns have increased the demand for video conferencing apps, for both business and personal use. According to a new report from App Annie, out on Monday, business conferencing apps have been experiencing record growth as a result, and just hit their biggest week ever in March, when they topped 62 million downloads during the week of March 14-21. Meanwhile, social networking video app Houseparty has also seen phenomenal growth in Europe during lockdowns and home quarantines.

While such growth was to be expected, App Annie’s report provides real-world context about just how many new customers these apps are gaining during this time.

For example, the jump in business app downloads to 62 million across iOS and Google Play earlier in March was up 45% from just the prior week. It was also the highest growth among any category across the app stores that week, the report said. And it was up 90% from the weekly average of business app downloads in 2019.

Much of the growth in the category is due to the increased adoption of apps like Google’s Hangouts Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom Cloud Meetings.

Zoom topped the charts worldwide in February and March, and continues to see high numbers of downloads in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere in Europe.

During the record week of downloads, Zoom was downloaded 14 times more than the weekly average during the fourth quarter of 2019 in the U.S. It was also downloaded more than 20 times Q4’s weekly average in the U.K., 22 times more in France, 17 times more in Germany, 27 times more in Spain and an even larger 55 times more in Italy.

A related report from the app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower saw Zoom’s U.S. downloads somewhat higher in mid-March, but noted that the term “Zoom” wasn’t a top 100 search term in the U.S. App Store before the week of March 9. That meant many new users were being sent the app’s installation page directly — such as via a link shared in a work email, calendar invite or an intranet site, perhaps.

At the same time in March, Google’s Hangouts Meet was seeing strong downloads in the U.K., U.S., Spain and Italy, in particular, with 24x, 30x, 64x and 140x the average weekly downloads in Q4, respectively.

Microsoft Teams saw significant — though not quite as strong — growth in Spain, France and Italy, at 15x, 16x and 30x the weekly levels of downloads in Q4, respectively.

In terms of consumer apps, social video conferencing app Houseparty, popular among Gen Z, has been rapidly growing in Europe and elsewhere. The app benefits from network effects — meaning as more friends and family join Houseparty, the app becomes more useful. It then gets launched and used more often, too. In Italy, the week ending on March 21 saw Houseparty downloads surge at 423 times the average weekly number of downloads in Q4 2019.

In Spain, Houseparty skyrocketed with 2,360 times the number of downloads in the week ending March 21, compared with Q4. Also notable is that Spain was a market where, before, Houseparty didn’t have any wide-scale penetration. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, it now has a base in a region where it otherwise may have never reached.

Unlike the business conferencing apps, Houseparty aims to make video chat a more personal and social experience. When you launch the app, it shows you’re free to talk and who else is online — similar to other messaging apps. But there are also live parties to join and in-app games to play, which signals the app is not meant for your virtual office meetings.

Business apps aren’t the only ones booming at this time, of course.

Educational apps, including Google Classroom and ABCmouse, have also spiked in March as have grocery delivery apps, like Instacart.

“As people face uncertain timelines for the length of social isolation, video conferencing apps have the potential to vastly influence our daily habits — breaking down geological barriers and fostering the ability to work and socialize relatively seamlessly,” noted App Annie, in its report. “It is an unprecedented time for the world and an incredibly dynamic time for mobile — we are seeing shifts in consumer behavior surface daily across virtually every sector,” the firm concluded.

Businesses switch to making products needed in outbreak

No one will be drinking Doundrins Distilling’s newest product — it’s hand sanitizer.

On the other side of Dane County, workers are assembling face shields for doctors based on a design sketched out by UW-Madison engineers and a Madison design firm.

Meanwhile, ventilators are coming off the assembly line quicker than ever at GE Healthcare’s plant on Madison’s East Side.

In a mobilization reminiscent of World War II, when factories worked around the clock to address military needs, Wisconsin businesses are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by revving up production of medical supplies.

Businesses around south-central Wisconsin — from Madison to Lodi and Blue Mounds — are using their facilities to make the goods medical professionals need to keep themselves safe or to discover treatment options for the disease, such as hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment and materials used in coronavirus diagnostic tests.

“We are trying to find ways to be part of the solution,” said Brian Ellison, business development manager for Midwest Prototyping, which is now making face shields.

The face shield was designed by UW-Madison Makerspace director Lennon Rodgers with input from Ellison and Jesse Darley, director of mechanical engineering at Madison-based design company Delve. They reviewed samples of face shields currently in use and training videos about personal protective equipment, provided by Rodgers’ wife, Jennifer Rodgers, who is an anesthesiologist at UW Hospital.

From there, the three designed a face shield that is simple and quick to make for manufacturers, using a sheet of clear polyester film to cover the face — protecting against sprays from coughs and sneezes — an adhesive- backed strip of foam to rest on the forehead and a latex-free elastic band to go around the back of the head.

Darley created a design plan for the face shields, which the team has named Badger Shield, and posted the plan online for anyone or any company to use for free. The shields each cost about $2 to $3 to make, Darley said.

Midwest Prototyping is manufacturing the shields, and other companies have also picked up the design, including Ford Motor Co., which has halted production on vehicles and switched to making medical equipment in short supply.

“We just published the design, and it spread like wildfire,” Rodgers said.

Local companies, including Fitchburg-based Placon and Cross Plains-based Plastic Ingenuity, are also helping the cause by making components for the manufacturers, such as the clear plastic film.

Supplies dwindling

UW Health has not run out of protective equipment, director of materials management Robert Scheuer said, but supplies are dwindling and could run out if shipments are backordered. UW Health isn’t alone in concerns that protective gear will run out.

“We are struggling like most health care providers,” Scheuer said. “We’re not out of anything, but I think that’s because we’re using careful conservation and intelligent use of what we have.”

The Makerspace isn’t the only UW-Madison department helping create needed medical supplies. The UW School of Pharmacy’s Zeeh Pharmaceutical Experiment Station began delivering bottles of “Badger-ell,” the unofficial name of hand sanitizer the station is making, to UW Hospital, hospital spokesman Gian Galassi said.

“We are now receiving daily deliveries, which are being used in all areas of the hospital,” Galassi said.

Repurposing machinery

In Lodi, Attwill Medical Solutions is shifting production from bandages to hand sanitizer.

The company’s machines normally used to make a medicated gel applied to bandages can also manufacture hand sanitizer, director of business development Angus Jackson said.

Attwill Medical hopes to begin producing hand sanitizer by the gallon once materials come in, Jackson said. The company plans to sell to medical professionals and clinics first and to other public-facing organizations or businesses that might be in need, he said.

“We’re just trying to provide this at as low of a cost as possible,” Jackson said.

A Janesville textile mill and Oak Creek flag manufacturer are teaming up to produce barrier masks for medical professionals and other organizations in need.

Monterey Mills is supplying knitted pile fabric, which it says is used in a variety of medical and air-filtration products, to Eder Flag. Eder Flag will combine the air filtration and insulation fabrics as well as a membrane layer to make washable and reusable masks, according to a statement from both companies.

“Instead of sewing together the stars and stripes to make U.S. flags, we’re ready to help fill an urgent local and national need,” Jodi Goglio, chief operating officer of Eder Flag, said in a statement.

Pieces to the treatment puzzle

Some area businesses — such as Fitchburg-based Promega and Aldevron, which has a production facility in Madison — are producing the materials used by pharmacologists to develop tests and treatments for COVID-19.

Aldevron makes enzymes and proteins as well as other materials used by global labs to find solutions for the disease. At its Madison facility, the staff of about 40 are working to boost production in the coming weeks.

“We’re going as fast as we can,” said Tom Foti, an executive with Aldevron. “The volume that they’re talking about outstrips any one company.”

Promega began increasing production earlier this month, boosting its output of some products up to four times the typical rate, spokeswoman Karen Burkhartzmeyer said. Some production lines have gone from running one shift for five days a week to three shifts for seven days a week.

“Everyone at Promega feels an extremely deep commitment to humanity’s struggle against COVID-19 and to the residents of Wisconsin,” Burkhartzmeyer said. “We are all working extremely hard, especially our colleagues in operations, to support these efforts.”

In about a week, Promega processed and shipped components used in more than 1 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests. Since the epidemic began in January, the company’s products have been used in more than 17 million tests globally, Burkhartzmeyer said.

GE Healthcare ramped up production at its Madison facility making ventilators and other vital medical equipment., a spokeswoman said.

The members of the Machinist Union (IAM) Local 1406 who work at GE in Madison passed a one-year emergency contract extension to continue producing more machines for anesthesia, respiratory and infant care, according to a statement from the union.

“This extension allows the company and union to work together to produce lifesaving ventilator equipment that will be used around the world to combat the virus,” said Joe Terlisner, business representative for IAM District 10. “Both union members and salaried workers will be working on the shop floor sideby- side in order to meet the unprecedented demands of this ever-evolving crisis.”

Another use for alcohol

Area distilleries are also joining in the effort, finding ways to help create sanitizers.

Doundrins Distillery in Cottage Grove, which just opened in August, is shifting production to make hand sanitizer that it hopes to sell at a low cost to the community and health care facilities in need, co-owner Abby Abramovich said.

Doundrins made about 30 gallons of hand sanitizer last week and is waiting to get the bottles properly labeled before they are distributed. Abramovich said she, her co-owners — husband Nick Abramovich and friend Ryan Lovejoy — and Doundrins’ four employees are waiting on shipments of materials, such as ethanol, bottles and labels, to arrive before another batch is made.

Yahara Bay Distillers in Fitchburg has taken a different approach to making sanitizer. Instead of using denatured ethanol, like Doundrins plans to use, Yahara Bay is continuing to use beverage-quality alcohol to make a high-proof vodka.

The 140-proof vodka, named Just Vodka, equates to 70% alcohol — a bit under double the usual alcohol content of Yahara Bay’s vodkas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that level of alcohol content can kill viruses.

Yahara Bay distributed its sanitizer to multiple polling places around the state in preparation of the April 7 election and plans to continue making sanitizers as the pandemic continues, said Nels Forde, general manager and chief operating officer.

 

 

Source | The Conference Board

The trajectory of COVID-19 and the economic response over the next few months are uncertain. To help businesses navigate this volatile period, The Conference Board has developed three scenarios for the course of the US economy for the remainder of 2020:

1. May reboot (quick recovery): Assuming a peak in new COVID-19 cases for the US as a whole by mid-April (with some possible variation by region), economic activity may gradually resume beginning in May. GDP growth shrinks by 1.6 percent in 2020 (over 2019) in this scenario.
2. Summertime V-shape (deeper contraction, bigger recovery): The peak in new COVID-19 cases will be higher and delayed until May, creating a larger economic contraction in Q2 but a stronger recovery in Q3. GDP drops in 2020 by 5.5 percent (over 2019).
3. Fall recovery (extended contraction): Managed control of the outbreak helps to flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases and stretches the economic impact across Q2 and Q3, with growth resuming by September. This results in the strongest contraction for 2020 at 6 percent.

Businesses should prepare for the “Summertime V-shape” and “Fall recovery” worst-case scenarios, which have high probability.

Access a full description of the scenarios here.

 

Source: uschamber.com

 

by Jim Malewitz, WisconsinWatch.org
March 27, 2020

Gov. Tony Evers issued an order Friday relaxing a range of rules governing Wisconsin’s health care workforce — an effort to maximize the number of doctors, nurses and physician assistants available to help during the all-hands-on-deck coronavirus pandemic.

“Our healthcare professionals are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, and it is critical that we maximize the size of our work force and eliminate unnecessary barriers so we can effectively meet the demand for care,” Evers said in a statement.

The order comes two days after Wisconsin Watch and Wisconsin Public Radio reported on restrictions that the state’s 2,750-plus physician assistants said prevented some from lending their skills. The changes will remain in effect for the duration of the Public Health Emergency that Evers declared on March 12.

Physician assistants — often called PAs — are a type of advanced practice provider, a category that also includes nurse practitioners. They may act like physicians in many respects, prescribing medications, managing treatment plans and making diagnoses.

Friday’s order, also signed by Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, relaxed several rules that they flagged as barriers.

The order gives PAs more flexibility in setting their “scope of practice” — allowing them to practice in areas of medicine that match their experience and expertise, even if their supervising physician works in another field. Additionally, physicians may now supervise up to eight PAs, rather than four.

Wisconsin PAs have long called for changes to such regulations — which they say are more restrictive than many states — but the pandemic added urgency to their requests.

The order affects other health care workers, too. Among other provisions, it simplifies license renewals during the state’s emergency and encourages recent retirees with expired licenses to re-enter the practice. And it allows licensed out-of-state physicians to more easily practice in Wisconsin.

The order adjusts clinical education requirements for nursing students who are close to graduation, allowing them to begin practicing sooner to respond to the pandemic. The governor also suspended practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses, who can diagnose and treat certain health problems, “enabling them to more efficiently and effectively respond during the COVID-19 crisis,” according to Evers’ office.

“This is extremely timely as we prepare for patient surges compounded with anticipated health care workforce illnesses and quarantines,” said Jamie Silkey, a physician assistant and assistant director for advanced practice providers at Milwaukee’s Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network.

“This will help alleviate the administrative burden and regulatory barriers that were making redeployment of PAs more challenging,” Silkey said.

Julie Doyle, president of the Wisconsin Academy of Physician Assistants, praised the move.

“The COVID crisis has glaringly brought to light the restrictive nature of PA practice laws,  providing proof that current regulations prevent PAs from providing needed care and exclude PAs from employment opportunities,” Doyle said.

She added that the academy will “continue to work to remove unnecessary administrative burdens uniquely faced by PAs in this state.”

Said Evers: “Remember, while our health systems respond to COVID-19, they also must continue to care for patients with other conditions and issues, such as cancer or accidental injury, that

require ongoing or immediate attention. This action will ensure that more Wisconsinites get the care they need, when they need it.”

This article first appeared on WisconsinWatch.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.