People’s health tracking apps let them know they’re showing potential symptoms of COVID-19, which makes me feel better about obsessively checking my Apple Watch.
according to a news.com.au reportPeople have been alerted by their health trackers and fitness apps that they are experiencing bodily irregularities like unusually high temperatures.
sally larson told the publication that she received a helpful notification from her fertility tracking app that her temperature was “out of her normal range.” The app told her that she might be sick or that she might have entered the temperature incorrectly.
His only other symptom was fatigue, but he decided to have a rapid antigen test, which came back positive.
Sally’s temperature was below 37.5 degrees, a medically normal but unusual temperature for her.
“For me, though, it was high. I usually have a pretty low body temperature, so in terms of a classic ‘fever’, it wouldn’t even have been recorded if it wasn’t for the app having months of data,” she said.
Right, maybe this is a sign that I should start using temperature in my period tracking app.
Similary, Scott Warren was alerted by his fitness tracking app that his sleep recovery had slowed. Both his resting heart rate and his respiratory rate were also significantly higher than normal.
His entire family had previously tested positive for COVID and he tested positive for PCR the day after notification.
“The day before I tested positive, the app informed me that my sleep recovery had slowed. I ask almost identical things of my body every day: similar eating patterns, not drinking excessively, not doing strenuous exercise,” he told the News.
“The only thing different was the impact of the COVID infection on my body.”
The idea of using a health app to track potential COVID symptoms isn’t actually new. In April 2021, the New Zealand government tried an app called ëlarm.
It connects to an Apple Watch or Fitbit and uses AI to track possible physiological changes that could indicate a COVID infection. The app was used by around 500 border workers for a month.
COVID is not the only illness that includes symptoms like a higher body temperature, higher heart rate, and changes in your respiratory system.
So while health data from an app can be helpful (who doesn’t love calculating your average resting heartbeat: It’s like a Myers-Briggs type), it’s definitely not a full and final diagnosis of COVID-19.
“While elevated heart and respiratory rates are recognized signs that the body is fighting a virus, it is important to note that the Omicron variant is still relatively new and we are still learning its intricacies.” Dr. Karen Price said News.
“Remember, these apps are not a diagnostic tool and we should not rely on products that are not TGA approved. That said, there can certainly be value in understanding more about our health through this type of data tracking.”
So if your Apple Watch tells you your heart rate is a little weird, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have the big C.
But if you’re getting strange pings from your health tracker and have other symptoms or feel weird, it might be a good idea to take a RAT, especially if you’ve been exposed to a case of COVID-19.
Image: Getty Images/BSIP
