How your Fitbit or Apple Watch may be able to detect COVID-19, even before symptoms start

As we all know Fitbit and other wearable devices attached to our wrist and typically linked to exercise are being studied as ways to identify people who are potentially infected with COVID-19 before symptoms appear, when they can unknowingly spread the disease.

A researchers says, Changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and other biometrics measured constantly by the devices may flag the early stages of virus infection, so an otherwise healthy-looking person knows to self-isolate and seek a COVID-19 diagnostic test.

As per the statement by Professor Michael Snyder of Stanford University School of Medicine which seems truly genuine “When you get ill, even before you know it, your body starts changing, your heart rate goes up”.

Stanford researchers are among several groups examining whether wearable fitness devices such as the Fitbit or Apple Watch can provide an early warning. Snyder’s team enrolled 5,000 people in the study and studied historical smartwatch data from 31 users who tested positive for COVID-19.

Of those 31, 80 percent had data on their wearable devices that indicated infection at the time or before symptoms appeared. Wearable devices picked up the signals of infection early – at the time or before symptoms appeared – in an average of three days.

In one case, Snyder’s team found that a smartwatch was able to spot the first signal of potential COVID-19 infection nine days before more obvious symptoms were reported.

Snyder said, “We can tell when someone’s getting ill before symptoms. That’s super powerful,” “”You can tell people to stay at home. Don’t go out, infect other people.”

Since it was first identified in January, The new coronavirus has infected more than 15 million people, and killed more than 600,000 worldwide. Early tell-tale symptoms include cough, fever, and loss of smell.

With a pitch to consumers that the wearable gadgets can improve their lifestyles, Large tech companies hope smartwatches can replace slowing sales of their main offerings. Apple Watch has been regarded as the industry’s top success, with Google agreeing to buy Fitbit last year for $2.1 billion in hopes of catching up.

Fitbit is conducting its own research into how its devices can help with COVID-19 early detection, involving 100,000 people in the U.S. and Canada, including 900 diagnosed with the virus.

フィットビット fitbit Inspire HR 時計インスパイア FB41…
価格：18660円（税込、送料別) (2020/7/28時点)