Latest Research: We Can Detect COVID-19 Alone At Home, Even Using A Smartwatch

Smartwatch (Photo by Torsten Dettlaff on Pexels)

JAKARTA - Until now, tests to detect corona virus infection can only be done by health workers. Either by visiting the clinic, hospital, or calling the officer to the house. Besides that, it also takes time for the results to come out. But, what if there is a way to detect the COVID-19 virus that can be done from home using a smartwatch?

Smartwatches and similar activity tracking devices are designed to continuously scan your heart rate, skin temperature, and other physical symptoms. Based on the latest research, data collected by smartwatches can be used to detect corona virus infection, even before a health diagnosis is carried out.

The research was carried out by the Mount Sinai Healt System academic and health institutions in New York and Stanford University in California. According to the researchers, wearable technology could play an important role in stemming pandemics and other infectious diseases.

Get a heart rate signal

Researchers at the Mount Sinai Institute found that the Apple Watch was able to detect the smallest change in a person's heart rate. These changes are used to signal whether someone is infected with the corona virus, up to 7 days before they feel the symptoms of this virus.

"Our goal is to use tools to identify infection early, even before someone knows they have been exposed," said Rob Hirten, assistant professor of health at the Icahn Shool of Medicine in Mount Sinai, New York.

More specifically, this study analyzed a metric called Heart Rate Variability - the variation in the interval for each heartbeat. The findings of researchers, this variability is able to predict how a person's immune system is.

"We found that the Heart Rate Variability metric changes as inflammation develops in the body, and that Covid is a tremendous inflammatory event," Hirten told CBSMoneyWatch journalists.

The findings of the researchers, someone infected with the corona virus has low heart rate variability. In other words, have a slight variation in heart rate intervals.

On the other hand, a high Heart Rate Variability is not the same as a high heart rate condition. According to Hirten, a high heart rate indicates an active, adaptive nervous system, and is stronger against stress.

This study involved more than 300 Mount Sinai health employees who use Apple Watch. The data collection process took place between 29 April 29 and 29 September.

Early warning

A separate study conducted by Stanford University, in which participants used a variety of activity tracking devices. Starting from Garmin, Fitbit, Apple, and other similar products.

The study found that 81% of participants who were positive for the corona virus experienced a change in heart rate up to nine days before the onset of symptoms.

"A very high heart rate is one indication of the onset of symptoms," explained Professor Michael Snyder, who led the study.

The research, named DETECT, took place from March to June 2020. The study involved 30,529 participants in the United States who provided data from smartwatches and other activity tracking devices.

"78.4 percent of participants used Fitbit devices, 31.2 percent used Apple Watch, and 8.1 percent used devices compatible with Google Fit," wrote the research team.

From this research, the team designed an alarm system that alerts users of wearable devices when their heart rate continues to increase over a period of time.

"Regular fluctuations will not set off alarm bells - only significant changes that are ongoing," said Professor Michale Snyder in the journal published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Snyder also explained that technology like this could help the weakness of the current corona virus test, which cannot be done for 24 hours.

"Meanwhile, the device is capable of tracking and providing data for 24 hours. The smartwatch will provide real-time and direct data, ”concluded Snyder.