West Virginia University Medicine's neuroscience institute created a digital platform that can detect COVID-19 symptoms up to three days before they show up.
The Morgantown-based WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute partnered with Oura Health to develop the platform, which can predict COVID-19 symptoms with more than 90 percent accuracy, according to a May 28 news release.
The platform uses the RNI's app, Oura Health's wearable device the Oura Ring and artificial intelligence models to forecast the onset of COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, coughing, breathing difficulties and fatigue in otherwise healthy individuals.
The organizations launched the first phase of the study, which is currently deployed in more than 600 healthcare professionals and first responders. The RNI is collaborating with partners including Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University and Nashville-based Vanderbilt University on the study.
"The holistic and integrated neuroscience platform developed by the RNI continuously monitors the human operating system, which allows for the accurate prediction of the onset of viral infection symptoms associated with COVID-19," said Ali Rezai, MD, executive chair of WVU's neuroscience institute. "We feel this platform will be integral to protecting our healthcare workers, first responders and communities as we adjust to life in the COVID-19 era."
The researchers are now moving forward with the next phase of the study by showing the location of reported symptoms and making the RNI app available for the general public.