A study says Apple Watch can predict COVID-19 diagnosis a week early

A new study by researchers at Mount Sinai has been published in the peer-reviewed "Journal of Medical Internet Research" and claims to show that Apple Watch can predict a positive COVID-19 diagnosis up to a week before a test.

According to a TechCrunch report, a special Apple Watch and iPhone app were used by participants in the study.

During the course of the study, the research team enlisted "several hundred healthcare workers" to participate, and collected data over several months, between April and September. The primary biometric signal that the study's authors were watching was heart rate variability (HRV), which is a key indicator of strain on a person's nervous system. This information was combined with information around reported symptoms associated with COVID-19, including fever, aches, dry cough, gastrointestinal issues, and loss of taste and smell, among others.

The potential here is pretty big, with people able to detect whether they have COVID-19 remotely, without anyone else needing to be involved. Being able to diagnose COVID-19 earlier would help improve isolation techniques and potentially prevent further spread of the virus.

As for the study itself, it continues to look into what else it can learn about the pandemic using Apple Watches and other wearables.

The study is ongoing and will expand to examine what else wearables like the Apple Watch and their onboard sensors can tell us about other impacts of COVID-19 on the health of care workers, including what factors like sleep and physical activity can have in association with the disease.