Windows 10: Study suggests Fitbit devices can identify early signs of COVID-19

Brink · Aug 20, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of staying healthy, and our mission to help people live healthier lives has never been more important. Since the start of this global health crisis, the Fitbit research team has been diligently working to help make a difference in the fight against COVID-19.This includes accelerating work on early disease detection, an effort led by our team of data scientists with deep expertise in machine learning and predictive modeling.

In May, we announced the launch of the Fitbit COVID-19 study aimed at building an algorithm that detects COVID-19 before symptoms start. In just over two months, more than 100,000 Fitbit users across the US and Canada have enrolled, with more than 1,000 positive cases of the virus reported. This study presents an exciting opportunity to see how the power of the Fitbit community will help us better understand this new and complex disease. If youâre interested in contributing to this research, you can join here or in the Assessments & Discover tab in the Fitbit app.

Because data to help detect COVID-19 is of critical global importance, weâve submitted our early research for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. While we work to finalize the publication, we have made the full manuscript publicly available as a preprint, which allows us to share some of the preliminary findings.

Early Findings From Fitbit COVID-19 Study

So far, weâre encouraged to see physiological signs of disease detected by Fitbit devices simultaneously with study participantsâ reporting the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, and in some cases even before.

Based on the findings of our study, we can detect nearly 50 percent of COVID-19 cases one day before participants reported the onset of symptoms with 70 percent specificity.

This is important because people can transmit the virus before they realize they have symptoms or when they have no symptoms at all. If we can let people know they should get tested a day before symptoms begin, they can isolate and seek care sooner, helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As researchers, we are always working to find a balance between sensitivity (alerting people who may be sick) and specificity (the ability to identify people who are healthy), as there are trade-offs to both. We will continue to work with the clinical and public health communities to evaluate different models for developing this technology to ensure the optimal balance.

Our study also reinforces that breathing rate, resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) are all useful metrics for indicating onset of illness and are best tracked at night, when the body is at rest. Our research shows that HRV, which is the beat-to-beat variation of the heart, often decreases in people who are exhibiting symptoms of illness, while resting heart rate and breathing rate are often elevated. In some cases, those metrics begin to signal changes nearly a week before participants reported symptoms.

Other findings include:

On average, heart rate variability hits its lowest point the day after symptoms are reported

Increases in resting heart rate normalize, on average, at least 5â7 days after the start of symptoms

Breathing rate peaks typically on day 2 of symptoms, but there is a slight elevation, on average, for up to 3 weeks after symptoms start

Understanding Symptoms and Severity of COVID-19

In addition to detecting early signals of COVID-19, we also are gleaning some insights into common symptoms, as well as severity, duration of illness and the symptoms most likely linked to hospitalization. Many of these observations align with what weâre hearing from other researchers and public health officials. For example, being older, male, or having a high BMI increases the likelihood of severe outcomes.

In addition, our study found that shortness of breath and vomiting are the symptoms most likely to predict that someone with COVID-19 will need to be hospitalized, while sore throat and stomachache were the symptoms least likely to predict the need for hospitalization.

Weâre also seeing that the most common symptom reported by individuals with COVID-19 was fatigue, which was present in 72 percent of participants reporting having COVID-19. This was followed by headache (65 percent), body ache (63 percent), decrease in taste and smell (60 percent), and cough (59 percent). Of note, fever was present in just 55 percent of people reporting COVID-19, an indicator that temperature screening alone may not be enough to understand who might be infected.

Mild cases (those who recovered at home on their own) show a median duration of 8 days, while moderate cases (those who recovered at home with help from others) last about a week longer, with a median duration of 15 days. For severe cases (patients who end up requiring hospitalization), the median duration of illness was approximately 24 days. But this duration had a large spread, with several cases lasting longer than two months.

Whatâs Next for the Fitbit COVID-19 Study

Itâs clear that our bodies start to signal impacts from the disease before more noticeable symptoms appear. With these initial signals identified, weâll continue our work in developing an algorithm to detect diseases like COVID-19 and focus on expanded research in a real-world environment.

Early detection is critical, and we hope to bring this type of information to consumers as soon as possible. As a next step, weâll continue to work with our research partners like Scripps Research Translational Institute and Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab to further validate the technology and intend to engage with the appropriate regulators globally to determine the best path to bring this to consumers.
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Source: Early Findings from Fitbit COVID-19 Study Suggest Fitbit Devices Can Identify Signs of Disease at Its Earliest Stages - Fitbit Blog

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Abdul_Malik · Aug 20, 2020

Radio Switch Device Error Code 19

Hi Kara,

Thank you for bringing up your query on Microsoft Community.

We sincerely regret for the inconvenience caused, and appreciate the steps you have taken so far to fix this issue.

The error code 19 describes that, Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged.

Recommended resolution

Uninstall and reinstall the driver.

Revert to the most recent successful registry configuration.

Before we could reset the computer to factory settings, I suggest you to refer to the below article and perform the troubleshooting steps suggested for error code 19.

Error codes in Device Manager in Windows.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/310123#bookmark-19

Hope it helps.

Let us know the status, we are happy to assist you further.

Brink · Aug 20, 2020

Tracking fitness goals just got easier with Fitbit skill for Cortana

Today, we are pleased to announce the availability of the Fitbit skill for Cortana. With this new skill for Cortana, from our partners at Fitbit, it is now easier than ever to monitor your health and fitness goals – just by asking Cortana.

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Earlier in May, we announced the public preview of the Cortana Skills Kit, which allows developers to easily create intelligent, personalized experiences for users of Cortana in the US*. Today, we’re pleased to share that the latest skill on Cortana is available, from our partners at Fitbit. With the new Fitbit skill for Cortana, you can easily monitor your health and fitness goals – just by asking Cortana. Users can access the Fitbit skill across devices and platforms, starting with Windows 10, Android and iOS and soon on the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker.

Fitbit is the leading global wearables brand with more than 50M registered users across the world. Fitbit’s health and fitness trackers and software are compatible across Windows 10, Android and iOS platforms, and offers the widest range of easy-to-use, smart and motivational tools that keep users engaged to meet their goals.

With the new Fitbit skill for Cortana, it’s now easier than ever for Fitbit users to monitor their health and fitness goals, sleep, stats and progress. Once you have connected your Fitbit account to Cortana, simply ask Cortana to get the information you need to stay inspired without having to pull up the Fitbit app or website. And because Cortana works across your Windows 10, Android and iOS devices, you can easily do so on the device closest to you.

You can say, “Hey Cortana, Ask Fitbit how am I doing today,” along with several other supported health and fitness prompts to learn about your daily progress. Cortana will not only read out your progress – like active minutes you’ve logged, how you slept last night, or the number of calories you’ve burned for any day within the previous week – but may also show you a short summary with all the handy information. If you’re tracking how you’re performing against your friends, you can say, “Hey Cortana, show me my leaderboard,” and Cortana will provide you with the extra motivation to keep you going. Cortana will also offer words of encouragement to inspire you to meet your goals, with responses that are tailored to the specific time of day. For example, if you inquire about your active minutes in the morning, you might be encouraged with “Today’s the day. Let’s do this.” Or, if you ask about your steps in the evening: “You are so there. I’d high five you if I could.”

Cortana understands natural language and makes it very easy to update Fitbit about your beverage and food intake without having to manually log the information. You can say, “Hey Cortana, Tell Fitbit to log I had an omelet for breakfast,” or “Hey Cortana, Ask Fitbit to log I drank 12 ounces of water,” and Cortana will update your Fitbit account accordingly. Cortana provides you with the convenience of being able to log these activities through voice, helping you maintain a fuller view of your calorie intake – along with the impact on your overall health and fitness stats.

There are many ways Cortana can help you engage with Fitbit. Here are a few you can try:

“Hey Cortana, ask Fitbit how much water I’ve had today”

“Hey Cortana, ask Fitbit how many calories do I have left to eat”

“Hey Cortana, ask Fitbit how many steps do I have left”

“Hey Cortana, ask Fitbit how many workouts I need to do this week”

To find out more, get started with the new Fitbit skill. Simply say “Hey Cortana, Open Fitbit,” and Cortana will ask you to connect your accounts by signing-in with your Fitbit username and password. You can then ask Cortana about your Fitbit activity. Happy stepping!

To learn more and discover the currently available skills, visit: microsoft.com/en-us/windows/cortana/cortana-skills/

*Available in US only. Other markets will be added over time.
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Source: Tracking your fitness goals just got easier with the Fitbit skill for Cortana - Windows Experience Blog

Windows 10: Study suggests Fitbit devices can identify early signs of COVID-19

Study suggests Fitbit devices can identify early signs of COVID-19

Study suggests Fitbit devices can identify early signs of COVID-19

Study suggests Fitbit devices can identify early signs of COVID-19

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