The hidden signs of Corona are revealed by an artificial intelligence device
Besides the rapid development of vaccines, the FDA has approved a number of breakthroughs for Coronavirus for use in emergency situations as part of the ongoing battle against the devastating virus.
So far, the agency has approved medical advances, including in vitro monoclonal antibodies for potentially more serious intermediate infections, a rapid test that uses CRISPR gene-editing technology and Fitbit's Flow ventilator.
The artificial intelligence-based screening device is the latest tool to obtain clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, and the device is designed to identify latent signs of Coronavirus in people without symptoms.
The prepack is called Tiger Tech COVID Plus Monitor, and it's an arm strip that uses light sensors and a microcomputer processor to check vital signs of the virus, such as hypercoagulation - a common coronavirus anomaly that causes blood to clot more easily.
After attaching the device to a person's arm, the sensors start collecting pulse signals from the blood flow over a period of three to five minutes, and then the therapist extracts basic information from the measurements and feeds it through a machine learning model.
The final results, including whether the test shows positive biomarkers, such as hypercoagulation, or inconclusive biomarkers, are represented by different colored lights.
In its announcement, the US Food and Drug Administration highlighted that the arm tape is not intended to diagnose the virus, and should not act as a substitute for regular testing, nor is it designed for use in people who have symptoms.
Instead, it is intended as a backup support to be deployed along with a temperature check if the reading does not indicate a fever in asymptomatic individuals.
The agency said: The two testing tools can be used together to limit the spread of the virus in a range of public places, including health care facilities, schools, workplaces, parks, playgrounds and airports.
The device's authorization comes after clinical studies in hospitals and schools that showed similar results.
In the hospital environment, the device correctly detected vital signs of the virus at a rate of 98.6 percent, while also accurately identifying those cases without warning signs at a rate of 94.5 percent.
The school trial also confirmed these results, according to the Food and Drug Administration.