When it comes to health, early diagnosis can make a difference in the progression of diseases and, especially, in their spread. Apple, in partnership with the University of Washington and the Seattle Flu Study, is researching whether the Apple Watch can be used for detect respiratory diseases, such as Covid-19 and flu.

The study was announced by Apple in September last year and the aim is to check whether user data collected by Apple Watch and iPhone are able to detect early signs of these respiratory diseases that are as harmful as Covid-19.

The company is even recruiting volunteers in the Seattle area who are over 22 years old, have respiratory diseases or are part of the Covid-19 risk group and are users of an iPhone 6s (or newer).

Those selected will receive the Apple Watch to wear at all times. The device will collect data about health and daily activities and the volunteer will also have to answer daily questions in the app Apple Research on respiratory symptoms and lifestyle.

If the volunteer becomes ill during the research, the company will send a free kit to test for Covid-19 and other illnesses, in addition to adopting extra health measures using the Apple Watch.

Research on the ability of Apple The Covid-19 detection watch should last at least six months. Other independent research has already shown that the smartwatch can identify early signs of diabetes and atrial fibrillation, a common type of cardiac arrhythmia.

Apple Watch detecting Covid-19 is nothing new

It is worth remembering that recently, a study conducted by researchers from Mount Sinai in the United States showed that the Apple Watch can detect the symptoms of Covid-19 up to a week before the PCR test, that is, to find out if the patient is sick, even if he is asymptomatic.

The results of the research were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and concluded that the combination of data collected by the wearable, such as heart rate and symptoms reported by volunteers (fever, dry cough, body aches and loss of smell and taste) are crucial for the diagnosis and initiation of patient isolation, reducing the spread of Covid-19.

“We already knew that markers of heart rate variability change as inflammation develops in the body. And COVID-19 is an incredibly inflammatory event,” said Rob Hirten, the study’s lead author.

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