Health trackers worn on the wrist could detect Covid-19 days before symptoms appear, research suggests.
The trackers monitor changes in skin temperature, heart and breathing rates and could be combined with artificial intelligence (AI) to provide a diagnosis, a study has found.
A team writing in the journal BMJ Open tested the AVA bracelet, a fertility tracker that people can buy online to identify the best time to conceive.
It monitors breathing rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, wrist skin temperature and blood flow.
Other heath trackers, such as Fitbit or Apple Watch, do not yet have the capability, but in future it could be possible and extremely useful, researchers said.
Dr Lorenz Risch, president of Switzerland’s Dr Risch Laboratories, told The National the AVA bracelet is a certified medical product, which is also cleared for fertility tracking.
"So far, neither the Apple Watches nor the Fitbit can be regarded as medical products," he said. "As a tracker itself, the AVA bracelet also includes wrist temperature monitoring, which is only included in a minority of other health trackers.
"It could theoretically seem feasible, that the AI-algorithms identified with the AVA bracelet could be adapted to other health trackers monitoring the same or similar physiological parameters. However, this is expected to take into account technical, regulatory as well as standardisation issues.
"Nevertheless, facing the fact that more than 100 million fitness trackers were sold globally in 2021, trying to apply the AVA-algorithm to other health trackers would ultimately allow an increase in the reach and usage of AI-driven health tracker technology in order to powerfully support mastering pandemic situations."
In the study, 1,163 people under the age of 51 in Liechtenstein were followed from the start of the pandemic.
They were asked to wear the AVA bracelet at night, with the device saving data every 10 seconds. People have to sleep for at least four hours for it to work.
The bracelets were synchronised with a smartphone app, with people recording any activities that could affect the results, such as alcohol, prescription medication and recreational drugs.
They also recorded possible Covid-19 symptoms, such as fever.
All those in the study took regular rapid antibody tests for Covid-19 while those with symptoms also took a PCR test.
Overall, 1.5 million hours of physiological data were recorded and Covid-19 was confirmed in 127 people, of which 66 (52 per cent) had worn their device for at least 29 consecutive days and were included in the analysis.
The study found there were significant changes in the body during the incubation period for the infection, the period before symptoms appeared, when symptoms appeared and during recovery, compared with non-infection.
Overall, the tracker and computer algorithm identified 68 per cent of Covid-19 positive people two days before symptoms appeared.
The team, including members from the Cardiovascular Research Institute of Basel, concluded there were limits to the research, including that not all Covid-19 cases were captured.
But they said: “Wearable sensor technology can enable Covid-19 detection during the pre-symptomatic period.
“Wearable sensor technology is an easy-to-use, low-cost method for enabling individuals to track their health and well-being during a pandemic.
“Our research shows how these devices, partnered with artificial intelligence, can push the boundaries of personalised medicine and detect illnesses prior to [symptom occurrence], potentially reducing virus transmission in communities.”
The algorithm is now being tested in a much larger group of 20,000 of people in the Netherlands, with the results expected later this year.
Infiniti QX80 specs
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Power: 450hp
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Naga
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
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On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
