Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Published : May 5, 2020 6:49 PM IST
Scientists across the world are trying to find more effective ways of diagnosing the infection.
Scientists are untiringly working round the clock to find a vaccine or cure for COVID-19. There have been many false hopes along the way. They are also trying to find more effective ways of diagnosing the infection. The main problem with this deadly contagion is that many people do not show any symptoms at all. These asymptomatic people are carriers of the deadly contagion. Moreover, COVID-19 has a long incubation period. You may have the infection but it can take anywhere between 2 to 14 days for symptoms to show. These factors have contributed greatly to the rapid spread of the contagion. Experts around the world are trying to work around these setbacks. Now researchers at Northwestern University have developed a smart patch that can reveal if you have the infection even before symptoms show.
This patch can be placed on the throat of a person who is suspected of exposure to the new variant of coronavirus. It will tell you if you are positive for the virus even before symptoms arise by monitoring coughs and other vitals like heart rate. The patch is about the size of a postage stamp. It is soft and flexible and can be placed at the base of the throat. It uses sensors to measure factors associated with the virus, such as heart rate and cough.
The device transmits data to a private server where algorithms create graphical summaries for healthcare authorities to analyze. This makes it easy for healthcare professionals to monitor people and alert them of changes. Researchers are hopeful that doctors can use the technology for patients in hospitals as well as at home for continuous care.
Researchers of this study, which is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association say that the most common and earliest signs of COVID-19 infection are usually fever, cough and breathing difficulty. Their device sits at the the suprasternal notch, at the neck. It measures respiratory rate, sounds, and activity because that's where airflow occurs near the surface of the skin. They have put the patch on more than two dozen affected individuals.
According to the researchers, this device will help healthcare professional to undertake the necessary precautionary measures and seek further testing as quickly as possible if required. The device will measure a person's cough, breathing patterns, heart rate and body temperature. It will also measure all the other factors commonly associated with the coronavirus. Once it collects all the data, it will be sent to what they call a 'HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )-protected cloud' for monitoring. They say that this is the first time anybody has developed anything to collect this type of data.
As the researchers of the study says, earlier detection is always better and this device offers the potential to identify symptoms and pick up trends before the workers notice them. This offers an opportunity to engage in appropriate precautionary measures and to seek further testing as quickly as possible. They further add that for patients who have contracted the disease, the value is 'even more clear, as the data represent quantitative information on respiratory behavior, as a mechanism to track the progression and/or the effects of treatments'.
The team of researchers hope that this device will also be able to inform researchers about the nature of the virus itself. This is critical because this disease has managed to confound expert with it unpredictability. Currently, dozens of these smart patches are under production at a facility in Chicago, Illinois. Researchers hope to expand operations to meet the need as the outbreak continues to spread.
