Are fitness trackers able to detect early signs of COVID-19?

Many of you are already using fitness trackers gadgets or apps, such as StepChain, and maybe you have asked yourself if these devices can help detect signs of COVID-19. Some companies have been studying this theory to try to figure out if their products are able to tell if users have caught the coronavirus.

In one company, that produces a fitness tracker, a user, who was later on diagnosed with COVID-19, was able to predict his infection with the virus using the fitness tracker. In fact, the user was tracking his breathing rate using the product and experienced an unusual increase, which was later on explained by his medical results.

Some researchers have studied fitness trackers to see if they are able to predict that a person has the virus. They wanted to see if changes in some data tracked by these products, such as skin temperature, sleep, and heart rate changes, could be a sign of COVID-19 infection. While some results could not prove much correlation, others found that some trackers were able to predict that infected people might experience some symptoms like cough, fever, or shortness of breath up to 3 days before their appearance.

Originally, fitness trackers were created to count steps, however with time, they were developed to fall into the category of healthcare apps. They helped predict in the past many health issues such as kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, and blood pressure. Some people confessed that the data on their devices urged them to go to the emergency room before they themselves suspected they would be ill.

In the results of the research, the researchers said that these trackers can help predict that individuals have the COVID-19 up to 9 days before feeling its real symptoms. This is relevant for up to 78 percent of the users. The bottom line for this study is that fitness trackers cannot alert people that they caught the virus, but they can help them know, in advance, that they might have it.

Many brands have collaborated with international hospitals and medical research centers to develop or study further these capabilities of their products. In fact, most of them were able to reach the same results. The devices can track almost the same data, that can help the patient or user suspect that they carry the virus or other diseases.

Recently, another study by the WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute has been carried and proved even further that fitness trackers can detect the coronavirus up to 3 days before they appear physically.

This can be especially helpful because in the case of such viruses, patients need to be isolated in order to stop spreading the virus and thus slow the spread of the pandemic.

This technology has been found important to be used among health workers as well. In fact, many hospitals are making their staff put on fitness trackers to try to protect them as much as possible.

Do you use a fitness tracker?

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