In the early days of the pandemic, dozens of researchers began investigating to see if all types of wearables could do that possibly identify covid-19 before the symptoms started. In one such study, Mount Sinai researchers found that the Apple Watch was able to detect the onset of covid-19 up to seven days before current testing methods.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, studied the impact of Covid-19 on hundreds of health workers in the Mount Sinai Health System between April and September last year. All participants wore an Apple Watch and answered daily surveys about symptoms via an app. The researchers then observed changes in the participants’ heart rate variability (HRV), which measures changes in heart rate and is an indicator of your autonomic nervous system.
The interesting takeaway from this particular study is that, first, subtle changes in a person’s HRV helped researchers identify and predict whether that person might have been infected with or had symptoms of covid-19 a week before they were ever tested via a nasal swab. That’s great, because covid-19 can be contagious before symptoms appear. The week’s heads up is one of the longest turnarounds we’ve seen so far. Another piece of news was that HRV patterns returned to normal 7-14 days after diagnosis, to the point where they were not statistically different from uninfected participants.
“With this technology, we can not only track and predict health outcomes, but also intervene in a timely and remote manner, which is essential during a pandemic that requires people to stay apart,” said study co-author Zahi Fayad, PhD. in a press release.
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This is in line with the idea that wearables can be a useful tool in triaging testing, as well as in identifying diseases in pre-symptomatic stages. Several other researchers also have identified HRV as a potential measure of infection detection, while others have also pointed to respiratory rate and body temperature as possible signifiers. And while studies are currently underway with the Apple Watch, Fitbits and Garmin devices, among others, the wearable that has received the most attention regarding covid-19 remains the Oura Ring. The Oura ring was the wearable of choice for the NBA in its reopening efforts, and a little promising preliminary research found that it could detect covid-19 up to three days before symptoms appeared with 90% accuracy. That said, it is a reminder that whatever headlines you read, none of the aforementioned wearables are capable of officially diagnosing Covid-19. Also, because this study focused on the Apple Watch, it doesn’t necessarily mean other wearables couldn’t do the same.
It’s also been about a year since many of these studies started, and we’ll likely see some more findings in the coming weeks and months. Whatever findings come to light, consumers may not see the features of “early disease detection” on their personal wearables during this pandemic. That requires some degree of FDA approval, which is usually a slow process. Still, it’s also possible that these findings will help doctors better manage future flu outbreaks or even monitor patients remotely.