Detecting the earliest population changes of COVID-19 activity with wearable devices New data from Scripps Research shows how sensors can provide real-time COVID-19 tracking and forecasting
September 23, 2022
LA JOLLA, CA Today, viral illnesses like COVID-19 are tracked using multiple different methods, including lab data, health care visits and wastewater surveillance. According to new data conducted by scientists at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, this arsenal can be expanded to include wearable technologies like fitness devices and smartwatches which are showing promise in identifying early population changes in COVID-19 activity.
This data comes from the DETECT study: a cross-collaborative effort launched at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that uses a mobile app to collect sensor and self-reported information from thousands of study participants across the nation. In addition to the sensor data gathered from a smartwatch, participants can provide details on their test results, vaccinations, symptoms and other demographic information.
In a study published on September 22 in Lancet Digital Health, the scientists found that sensor data significantly improved the seven-day average predictions for COVID-19 infection. This information can provide an earlier signal than traditional surveillance, as it can identify alterations in a person's data potentially even before the participant notices their symptoms. With this promising data in hand, this method of tracking could be expanded to monitor additional infectious disease threats well.
Wearable technologies give us another valuable piece to the COVID-19 tracking puzzle, says co-senior author Eric Topol, MD, director and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and executive vice president of Scripps Research. In aggregating this information at the population level, sensor data provides a unique, real-time picture of how the virus is evolving across the nation.
Using data gathered from March 25, 2020, to January 14, 2022, the study evaluated factors such as average resting heart rate and step count data across the 39,931 people who participated in the US. Scientists identified a person's anomalous sensor days if they had a higher resting heart rate or lower step count when compared to their baseline data. They then compared these anomalous days against a model that predicted the CDC's seven-day moving averages for COVID-19 cases in real-time, as well as six and 12 days in the future.
In tracking how physiological and behavioral changes may precede symptom onset and eventual testing, the scientists found that this sensor data significantly improved the seven-day average predictions by 32.9% in California as well as by 12.2% in the United States for predictions occurring 12 days in the future.
The researchers were surprised at how well changes in sensor data tracked with changes in COVID-19 incidence, especially during huge peaks like the Omicron wave.
All data streams wastewater, electronic health records, pharmacy information and now sensor data should be combined if we are to accurately forecast not only COVID-19 transmission, but also viral threats of the future, says Jennifer Radin, PhD, MPH, an epidemiologist at the Scripps Research Translational Institute who is leading the study.
Radin notes that providing a real-time picture for what's happening in the population is especially relevant now, as more people now test at home rather than in the clinic. And while wastewater surveillance has been a great resource for accomplishing this, the technology can be costly and isn't available in most of the country.
Nearly one in four people in the US have some sort of smartwatch, meaning that sensor data collection is an affordable, fast and convenient way to study viral onset in the broader population, Radin adds.
The DETECT study is actively recruiting additional participants, and anyone in the United States with a smartphone who is 18 years or older can join. With enough people participating in the study, scientists can continue to improve their predictions on different viral threats and track how viruses like SARS-CoV-2 evolve through the population.
Learn more about DETECT at detect.scripps.edu.
In addition to Topol and Radin, the study, Sensor-based surveillance for digitising real-time COVID-19 tracking in the USA (DETECT): a multivariable, population-based, modelling study, is authored by Giorgio Quer, Jay A. Pandit, Matteo Gadaleta, Katie Baca-Motes, Edward Ramos, Erin Coughlin, Katie Quartuccio and Steven R. Steinhubl of Scripps Research Translational Institute; Vik Kheterpal of CareEvolution; and Leo M. Wolansky of The Rockefeller Foundation.
The study was supported in part by the US National Institutes of Health/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences grant UL1TR002550, The Rockefeller Foundation, and contribution of in-kind credits from Amazon Web Services via the Diagnostic Development Initiative.
About DETECT
Since its launch, the DETECT (Digital Engagement and Tracking for Early Control and Treatment) study has enrolled over 40,000 participants nationwide. The data that has been shared has enabled scientists to gain valuable insights into various aspects of COVID-19 infection. Already, DETECT has led to several peer-reviewed publications that: show how wearable devices are capable of detecting COVID-19 infection; give valuable insights into long COVID; demonstrate how machine learning techniques can predict COVID-19 infection; and more. The team aims to develop tools to complement traditional public health interventions and bolster the ability to prevent and contain future pandemics. The DETECT study is ongoing. Visit detect.scripps.edu to learn more.
Infectious Diseases COVID-19 Radin, Jennifer
North America Stories
08/05/2026
For the second straight year, Miri Technologies Inc. has been honored with a pair of coveted awards at the broadcast, media and entertainment industry's pre...
08/05/2026
Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions.
May 7, 2026
By
Tori Donahue
Boston Co...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
07/05/2026
Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision
Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...
07/05/2026
Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...
07/05/2026
Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...
07/05/2026
Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...
07/05/2026
Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...
07/05/2026
Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...
07/05/2026
At Broadcast Asia 2026 (Stand 5H3 8), LiveU is redefining live production with its most powerful IP-video EcoSystem to date built to help broadcasters and con...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Recreating the 1974 Doctor Who Time Tunnel in After Effects
Graham Quince May 6, 2026
0 Comments
The Time Tunnel from Doctor Who titles is one of th...
07/05/2026
AI will help build the energy it needs.
That's the case U.S. Energy Secreta...
07/05/2026
Back to All News
Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix Present the Trailer of ...
07/05/2026
Less typing, more tanking.
Faster logins mean more time in the gaming action - and this week provides GeForce NOW members with a smoother path straight into th...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
Detecting the earliest population changes of COVID-19 activity with wearable devices New data from Scripps Research shows how sensors can provide real-time COVID-19 tracking and forecasting
