Fitbit wants to discover covid-19 at an early stage with wearables

Fitbit is adding a component called the Fitbit COVID-19 Study to its mobile app in the United States and Canada. The company wants to investigate whether it is possible to develop an algorithm that can detect Covid-19 before symptoms appear.

The addition to the Assessments & Reports section of the Discover tab addresses some questions aimed at Fitbit users who have or have had Covid-19 and who are showing possible flu symptoms. Questions include symptoms and the user’s medical history.

Fitbit wants to use the answers in combination with data from the wearables to determine early indicators of infectious diseases. To this end, the company is collaborating with the Scripps Research Translational Institute and the Stanford Medicine Healthcare Innovation Lab. Last month, Fitbit released comprehensive statistics on decreased activity from the coronavirus worldwide, based on data from its wearables.