While the world’s scrambling to deal with the sudden explosion of the COVID-19 virus, it’s pretty refreshing to see that certain startups are pushing the boundaries when it comes to lending a helping hand in any way possible. Health startup Oura, the creator behind the 2018 Red Dot-winning Oura Ring, is teaming up with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to see if the physiological data picked up by the ring combined with responses to daily symptom surveys, can predict symptoms of the illness. “The study aims to build an algorithm to help UCSF identify patterns of onset, progression, and recovery, for COVID-19”, says the team at Oura.
The ‘Oura TemPredict’ study will be split into two groups, where Oura will test data collected by front-line health professionals, and data gathered by the general public. The startup plans to supply more than 2,000 healthcare workers (who are in daily contact with patients who may be afflicted with COVID-19 at UCSF campuses) with Oura rings to monitor changes in their body temperature, respiratory rate, and heart rate. Daily Symptom Surveys will be made available to all Oura Ring users too, allowing participants to send their crucial data to UCSF’s team of researchers to help them identify patterns that could predict onset, progression, and recovery in any future cases of COVID-19.
Volunteers can join the Oura TemPredict study by visiting Oura’s website, or by accessing an invite within Oura’s app.
Designer: OURA
