Titus: Can Fitness Devices Warn of COVID-19 Infection?

Wearable devices like Fitbits, Apple Watches and Garmin watches gather data about physical activity, heart rate, body temperature and quality of sleep. Several studies are testing algorithms that assess data from wearable devices to detect COVID-19. Results to date show that the concept is sound. Albert H. Titus, PhD, professor and chair of biomedical engineering says: “The difficulty many people have getting tested for SARS-CoV-2 and delays in receiving test results make early warning of possible COVID-19 infections all the more important, and data from wearable health and fitness devices shows promise for identifying who might have COVID-19.” He notes that continued development of broadly accepted health-based wearables should include community input.