What features of fitness trackers relate to coronavirus?
HOUSTON – When it comes to COVID-19, the most important measurement your fitness tracker takes throughout the day is your heart rate. Most smartwatches can identify when your heart rate fluctuates from its baseline and unexplained changes could signal a variety of health issues, including an infection.
Vijay Jotwani, MD, Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, says through an increased heart rate, your watch could reveal a fever and a more advanced watch might even be able to monitor breathing.
“If you have an infection, particularly a respiratory infection you could see that breathing rate go up. So sometimes if you’re really falling outside of your norms, maybe that is a useful data point to look at and to look a little closer at what are you having any other signs or symptoms of a COVID-19 infection,” Jotwani explained.
Does that mean your smartwatch can detect COVID-19?
Not really.
However, there is research being done on how it might detect an infection in the future. Some studies are working to identify an infection as soon as three days into a virus, which might seem too late, but with COVID-19, it could warn pre-symptomatic patients.
For Fitbit users, participating in these studies is as easy as joining via your Fitbit app or online.
One day fitness trackers could detect and monitor infections
One of the ways scientists have been able to track the movement of coronavirus across the country is through information users have given through smartphones and watches.
It’s a reminder that while sacrificing privacy to use these apps, someone is watching what you do and using the data for information.
In one study, they took users’ info and tracked heart rate and sleep to predict flu rates
So, getting more details on COVID-19 through these isn’t that far off.
For now, don’t rely on your watch
Jotwani said the most important role fitness watches play in this pandemic is to get you moving more.
“If that fitness tracker is motivating you to get your steps in, to get out and be active, that’s a great way to boost your immune system, to stay healthier and hopefully keep coronavirus infections at bay,” he said.