The Apple Watch is a lot of things and Apple has made sure that the wearable does not lag behind in any category. However, the Apple Watch focuses a lot on features related to health and fitness. Now, new studies from Mount Sinai Health System in New York and Stanford University in California have revealed that Apple Watch and other smartwatches like Fitbit can predict positive COVID-19 in advance. This is remarkable in times like these. Let’s dive in to see some more details on the subject.
Apple Watch and other smartwatches can help detect COVID-19 a week before symptoms start to appear
Apple Watch can detect COVID-19 a week before symptoms start to appear, according to researchers at Mount Sinai. Apple’s wearable has the ability to detect small changes in heart rate that can potentially lead to COVID-19. According to the survey, it can be detected in seven days.
Apple Watch measures heart rate variability that measures the interval between each heartbeat. However, the same metric is also influenced by inflammation in a person’s body. From now on, the inflammation and Covid reading could be similar. Covid users were able to see the decrease in heart rate variability, which suggests that there is a slight variation between heartbeats.
“We already knew that heart rate variability markers change as inflammation develops in the body, and Covid is an incredibly inflammatory event,” Hirten told CBS MoneyWatch. “This allows us to predict that people are infected before they know it.
The survey was conducted based on the screening of 300 healthcare professionals who used an Apple Watch between April 29 and September 29. Stanford University in California also conducted a study in which participants used different smartwatches, including Apple Watch, Fitbit and Garmin. The study revealed that 81% of the participants had their hearing rate triggered about nine and a half days before the onset of symptoms. In addition, almost two-thirds of cases were detected, ranging from four to seven days before the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. This study was conducted with more than 5,000 participants.
Apple is consistently adding more features to the Apple Watch and is also aiming to improve the user’s fitness routines. What do you think of the study? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
News Source: CBS News