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 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, researchers say.
"When you get ill, even before you know it, your body starts
changing, your heart rate goes up," said Professor Michael Snyder of
Stanford University School of Medicine.
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.
"We can tell when someone's getting ill before symptoms. That's
super powerful," Snyder said. "You can tell people to stay at home.
Don't go out, infect other people."
The new coronavirus has infected more than 15 million people, and
killed more than 600,000 worldwide since it was first identified in
January. Early tell-tale symptoms include cough, fever, and loss of
smell.
Large tech companies hope smartwatches can replace slowing sales of
their main offerings, with a pitch to consumers that the wearable
gadgets can improve their lifestyles. 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.
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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.
"We've seen the changes in breathing rates and heart rates that we suspected
would happen," said Fitbit's lead research scientist Conor Heneghan.
Device makers also are studying possible early signs of COVID-19 infection among
professional athletes who wear personalized fitness trackers, like Whoop, a
wristband, and Oura, a ring worn on your finger.
Promising results from separate university studies of the Oura ring, produced by
Oura Health, prompted the National Basketball League to purchase 2,000 devices
to be worn by players and staff to keep a close eye on heart rate and
temperature. The PGA Tour bought 1,000 Whoop bands for players, caddies, and
media covering the golf tournament, said Whoop founder Will Ahmed.
"They're using the technology to measure everything about their bodies, but
especially respiratory rate, which we've found is a very important statistic for
understanding COVID-19," Ahmed said.
(This story corrects 5th graf to show 80 percent of 31 confirmed cases indicated
infection at the time or before symptoms appeared; Corrects 10th graf to show
study involves 900 people diagnosed with the virus)
(Writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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