Chinese people overseas are turning to online health platforms amid global coronavirus panic

Concerned about being infected with Covid-19 but reluctant to venture out for a check-up? You are not alone and solutions are out there.

Overseas users – many of whom are Chinese – are turning to online health consultation services backed by Chinese tech companies, as more countries around the world impose lockdowns to fight the pandemic.

Service providers Baidu, JD and Chunyu Doctor have seen over 320,000 queries combined from overseas users since they launched their free-of-charge telemedicine consultation platforms earlier this month.

This surge follows increasing demand for online health services at home amid the coronavirus outbreak – which can be spread by respiratory droplets and human-to-human contact. The disease first triggered public alarm in January in China, resulting in the lockdown of the original epicentre in Wuhan and other areas of Hubei province.

With the outbreak taking its toll on normal health care activities, global consultancy Bain & Company expects more consumers to embrace online health care services and avoid possible contamination and crowds at hospitals.

“While some technologies, such as AI-enabled fever-detection devices, are being rolled out quickly in response to the outbreak, other developments, such as the widespread adoption of electronic medical records, could improve the system’s efficiency and transparency in times of crisis,” it said.