As new highly contagious strains of the new coronavirus are now spreading in the US, health experts are warning the public that it is now more important than ever to follow basic health guidelines, such as hand washing, wearing a mask and taking social distances. It also includes isolation if you know you have been exposed or if you think you are infected. However, since more than half of COVID cases are spread by asymptomatic patients, it can be difficult to know. However, new research has shown that there is a reliable way to see if you have COVID even before you show symptoms without even picking up a finger: to wear a smartwatch. Read on to see how you can help catch coronavirus early, and for more information on other daily habits that can help you stay safe, see The CDC warns against using these 6 face masks.
In a recent study, which has not yet been reviewed by a peer, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York analyzed data from Apple Watches carrying 297 health workers. The portable technology’s ability to monitor sustained changes in someone’s blood flow and heart rate over time may indicate warning signs of inflammation – a clear indication of COVID-19.
The nearly 300 study participants were asked to wear Apple Watches full-time and install an app that specifically looked at changes in their heart rate. The researchers analyzed a measure called heart rate variability, which is the variation in time between each heart rate. It is also a way of measuring how well a person’s immune system is working. “We already knew that the heartbeat changes markers as inflammation develops in the body, and COVID is an incredible inflammatory event,” Rob Hirten, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine, told CBS News MoneyWatch. “It allows us to predict that people are infected before they know it.”
The results showed that more than two-thirds of the subjects who eventually tested positive for coronavirus were correctly warned that they were infected on average seven days before any symptoms were reported.
“Right now, we trust people to say they are sick and not feeling well, but wearing an Apple Watch requires no active user input and can identify people who may be asymptomatic,” Hirten said. “It’s a way to better control infectious diseases.”
Further reporting by CBS News, which included the study in question as well as another investigation conducted by Stanford University in November, found that the devices are relatively reliable in detecting the early onset of COVID infections.
Now researchers are working with developers to create early warning systems for Fitbit, Garmin, Apple and other wearable products that users can reject when it’s time to get a nose swab or isolate. “It’s a big problem because it warns people not to meet people,” Michael Snyder, PhD, a professor who led the Stanford study, told CBS News.
But just because you do not own a smartwatch does not mean that you can monitor your health at any moment. Read on to see other early warning signs that you are infected with coronavirus, and if you spot it in your mouth, you may have COVID, experts warn.
Read the original article Best life.