The coronavirus pandemic has prompted several companies to develop solutions to stem the spread of the virus. While some have embarked on the development of tracking applications, others have chosen to modify their products to make them virus detection tools. This is particularly the case with Fitbit, which launched a study last May to create an algorithm that would detect the coronavirus before the onset of the first symptoms. For the American company, the first results of its study would be a success.
“In just over two months, more than 100,000 Fitbit product users in the United States and Canada participated, with over 1,000 identified positive cases. The study is an opportunity to see to what extent the Fitbit community will help us better understand this new, complex disease, ”the company statement read.
The Fitbit products have thus made it possible to detect the first symptoms of the virus in sick participants and, in some cases, the brand's wearables detected them before the symptoms appeared. "Based on the results of our study, we can detect nearly 50% of COVID-19 cases a day before participants report the onset of symptoms with a specificity of 70%," the statement said.
During its study, Fitbit was able to confirm that "respiratory rate, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability (HRV) are all useful measures to indicate the onset of disease and that it is preferable to follow them at night, when the body is at rest. Our research shows that HRV, which is the beat-to-beat variation of the heart, often decreases in people with symptoms of illness, while resting heart rate and respiratory rate are often elevated. In some cases, these metrics begin to signal changes almost a week before participants report symptoms ”.
Valuable information
In its report, the American company also confirms that age, gender and BMI can have an impact on the severity of the disease.
“We are also finding that the most common symptom reported by people with COVID-19 was fatigue, which was present in 72% of participants who reported having COVID-19. Then come headaches (65%), body aches (63%), decreased taste and smell (60%) and cough (59%). It should be noted that fever was only present in 55% of people reporting COVID-19, an indicator that testing the temperature alone may not be enough to understand who might be infected, ”says Fitbit.
If the first results are encouraging, the Fitbit gadgets are still far from being scientifically reliable. Like the ECG features of some connected watches, they could still be useful for their wearers. Knowing that they are infected even before the first symptoms appear, they could quarantine themselves more quickly and thus avoid infecting other people. Fitbit does not say exactly when early detection will be available to consumers, but will do so "as soon as possible."
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