Buzz
1. Using smartwatches can aid in early detection of COVID-19 cases.
A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, led by Professor Michael Snyder (School of Medicine, Stanford University, USA), revealed that this algorithm utilizes data collected by smartwatches such as heart rate, blood pressure, etc., to provide health diagnoses for wearers, even in the absence of any symptoms.
Professor Michael Snyder - head of the research team developing an early warning system for Covid-19 on smartphones.
This study involved thousands of volunteers testing the algorithm. Specifically, scientists tested the algorithm on 2,155 individuals using various smartwatches like Fitbit, Apple Watch, or Garmin.
The results showed that 84 individuals were diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with 14 of them showing no symptoms. The system provided early warnings to 67 out of the 84 COVID-19 patients (80%), on average 3 days before symptoms appeared.
According to Professor Michael Snyder, while this system operates based on resting heart rate, various stressors can also trigger the alert system.
Professor Michael hopes that smartwatch manufacturers can incorporate additional biometric data such as heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and oxygen levels to enhance early detection accuracy for Covid-19 cases.
Smartwatches can monitor regular bodily health conditions.
Although this is still a scientific study, Mr. Snyder hopes that when approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these devices will lead the way in early COVID-19 diagnosis.
In addition, the research team's goal is not only to detect Covid-19 cases but also to use this algorithm to alert wearable device users to other bodily disturbances, prompting them to visit a doctor early to prevent potential serious consequences of illness.
