SINGAPORE – Those who have recovered from Covid-19 but suffer from persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath can hope that an app will help them recover through exercise.
Dubbed MoveVid, it provides patients with a personalized eight-week exercise program aimed at helping them return to their previous levels of physical activity.
Along with a portable pulse oximeter, which measures heart rate and blood oxygen levels, the app features an animated character demonstrating how to perform exercises like squats.
The app also asks users to rest if they feel sick or short of breath, and provides infographics and guides so patients can learn how to exercise safely on their own.
It is expected to be available to the public in the first quarter of 2023.
The persistence of symptoms such as fatigue or shortness of breath for three months or more after a coronavirus infection is sometimes referred to as “long covid.”
In April, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a written response to parliamentary questions that his ministry does not track the number of patients with persistent symptoms after COVID-19.
However, a study conducted in the Netherlands by researchers at the University of Groningen and published in the medical journal The Lancet earlier this year suggested that up to one in eight adults with covid-19 may experience prolonged covid-19.
MoveVid was developed by a team of two doctors and four therapists from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), together with local start-up Taggle Health.
A pilot study to test the safety and efficacy of the app’s exercise program began in May 2022, with recruiting participants. The goal is to eventually have at least 10 suitable participants.
The app was conceived in 2020, when pandemic restrictions increased the need for remotely supervised exercise programs.
With most people experiencing mild symptoms and Singapore moving towards life with Covid-19, the team wants to expand the app’s use to help people recover from other respiratory conditions, said lead physiotherapist Cheryl Heng, a researcher study principal.
