Countless medical minds are working around the clock to try to come up with new detection systems and treatment options to help combat the novel coronavirus. It seems like we’re continuing to take strides in the right direction, especially now that the vaccine is being administered in the United States, and a recent study took a new look at how the virus can be detected. Instead of a standard nasal swab, researchers may by able to predict who has the virus by examining breathing rates as a person sleeps.
Respiratory Rate and COVID-19
By now you’re probably aware that the lungs are one of the organs most severely affected by the SAR-CoV-2 virus. Research has shown that the virus can cause lung damage, shortness of breath and impaired respiratory function, but what if we used these respiratory symptoms to help diagnose the condition? That’s what recent research sought to uncover.
For the study, a team of researchers examined a group of 271 individuals who experienced symptoms consistent with COVID-19. 81 eventually tested positive for the coronavirus while the other 190 tested negative, and together they provided 2,672 days of data for the study. Users were asked to wear a device on their wrist that tracked respiratory rates and other physiological measures. After looking at the data, researchers were able to develop a predictive algorithm that could spot nighttime respiratory changes that helped to predict whether or not a person was infected with COVID-19.
After looking at the data, researchers uncovered that their model could identify 20 percent of COVID-19 positive individuals in the two days prior to symptom onset, and 80 percent of COVID-19 positive cases by the third day of symptoms.
“This study presents a novel, non-invasive method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to and during the first days of symptoms,” researchers concluded. “The findings indicate that the early stages of the infection may have a detectable signature that could help identify individuals who should self-isolate and seek testing.”
They say knowing is half the battle, and that’s especially true with COVID-19 because of the problem of asymptomatic spread. However, by looking at breathing rate changes, even in the days before symptoms set in, we may be able to determine who is infected and who should self-isolate. This non-invasive method of infection detection could radically change the game as the world waits for vaccine administration. It will be interesting to watch future studies build on this model and to see real-world applications of the system come to life in the near future.
