INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Startups continue to find new ways to contribute to ongoing efforts to fight the global spread of COVID-19 during the current global
coronavirus pandemic, and personal health hardware-maker Oura is no exception
The smart ring startup is working with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) on a new study to see if its device can help
detect early physiological signs that might indicate the onset of COVID-19.This study will include two parts: Around 2,000 frontline
healthcare professionals will get Oura rings to wear during the study
Fever is a common and early symptom that could indicate COVID-19, and a continuously updated body temperature reading could detect fever
researches believe that Oura could be used in early detection: An Oura user in Finland claims the ring alerted him to the fact that he was
ill before he was displaying any overt symptoms of the virus, prompting him to get tested (relatively easy in that country)
Test results confirmed that while asymptomatic, he had indeed contracted COVID-19
As a result, UCSF researcher Dr
Ashley Mason hypothesizes that the Oura ring could anticipate COVID-19 onset by as many as two to three days before the onset of more
obvious symptoms, like coughing.Being able to detect the presence of the virus in an individual early is key to global containment efforts,
but even more important when it comes to frontline healthcare workers
population, meaning its more than 150,000 global users can opt in to participate and add to the overall pool of available information with
