Covid-19: Swiss ‘hackathon’ seeks new paths in virus battle

A total of 4,610 people signed up and were separated into hundreds of teams tasked with tackling more than 190 different challenges, including generating ideas on how better to protect those most vulnerable to the new coronavirus, data against fake news and the impact of quarantine on mental health. — CDC/Handout/Reuters

GENEVA: More than 5,000 people took part over the weekend in a virtual "hackathon" in Switzerland to generate fresh ideas for how to deal with and combat Covid-19, organisers said on March 6.

The event, backed by Swiss authorities, kicked off on Friday evening and ran through the weekend, and on Monday evening the organisers announced the 42 best projects.