A Survey of Using Machine Learning Algorithms During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Al-Emran, Mostafa; Al-Kabi, Mohammed N.; Marques, Gonçalo

The emergence of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is considered a worldwide pandemic. In response to this pandemic and following the recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, the literature witnessed an abundant amount of machine learning applications on COVID-19. To understand these applications, this study aims to provide an early review of the articles published on the employment of machine learning algorithms in predicting the COVID-19 infections, survival rates of patients, vaccine development, and drug discovery. While machine learning has had a more significant impact on healthcare, the analysis of the current review suggests that the use of machine learning is still in its early stages in fighting the COVID-19. Its practical application is hindered by the unavailability of large amounts of data. Other challenges, constraints, and future directions are also discussed.