As the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, wearable devices are proving to be valuable tools in the fight against the virus. From detecting early symptoms to monitoring the body’s response to vaccines, these devices are helping individuals take control of their health and providing public health experts with valuable data.
How Wearables Can Help Detect COVID-19
The early detection of COVID-19 has been crucial in slowing down its spread, and wearables may play an important role in achieving this goal. According to a study by Oura, wearable devices can detect changes in body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, variability in heart rate, and sleep efficiency up to 2.5 days before testing positive for COVID-19. This can help individuals isolate early and prevent further spread of the disease.
Wearables Monitoring Vaccine Response
Wearables are also proving to be useful in tracking a person’s response to COVID-19 vaccines. Changes in body temperature and heart rate the night after receiving the vaccine can be linked to the amount of antibodies that the immune system is producing. By tracking these changes, individuals can monitor their immune response over time and determine if they need a booster shot.
Wearables As Tools for Public Health Experts
In addition to assisting individuals in monitoring their health, wearables also provide valuable data for public health experts. By tracking changes in individual-level data from wearables, experts can gain insights into infectious disease outbreaks and slow down their spread. Wearables could also play a role in the development of vaccines against infectious diseases and accelerate their timeline for development.
Wearable Devices for Passive Diagnostics
Researchers have noted that wearable devices are being used for passive diagnostics and screening to contribute to population health testing. Elevated resting heart rates have been shown to occur alongside fever, which enables researchers to estimate the prevalence of influenza using data from wearable devices alone. Wearable devices have also shown promise for population-level tracking of disease prevalence, including individualized predictions of infection.
Oura Ring’s Contribution in Understanding COVID-19
One such wearable device that has proven effective in detecting COVID-19 is the Oura Ring. Research from Oura Ring shows that wearables can provide insights into the body’s health and warn about potential infections. The study focused on wearers with confirmed COVID-19 infections and their body’s response to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Oura Ring can track changes in temperature, heart rate variability, breathing rate, and sleep efficiency before the wearer reports a confirmed case of COVID-19. The device also tracks the body’s response to the vaccine and shows a similar response to an infection that starts after the wearer receives it.
Oura Ring establishes personal baselines and sudden changes are flagged in its associated app, which could help explain why people may not feel great and warn of a potential infection. Other wearables with similar sensor arrays can also provide similar information, but Oura Ring’s app is one of the best available for presenting the data in an logical, easy-to-understand way.
Conclusion
Wearable devices are proving to be valuable tools in the fight against COVID-19, from detecting early symptoms to monitoring vaccine response. By providing individuals with access to actionable insights into their health and collecting valuable data for public health experts, wearables are making an important contribution to the global effort against this pandemic.
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