Test yourself. American startup has created a device that helps determine COVID-19

Startup Butterfly Network introduced the Butterfly IQ gadget, which helps to remotely diagnose coronavirus using iPhone and looks like a small stick.

Experts note: the main advantage of the development is that Butterfly IQ can be used by the patient.

The company added that for the participation of the patient in such ultrasound diagnostics, special knowledge is not required. The first examination may be previous, if the doctor noticed signs of the disease, he can control the depth of the ultrasound signal.

Matt de Jong, Butterfly Network’s vice president of product, said there was nothing new in this particular approach to medical imaging. Butterfly Network compresses its on-chip ultrasound systems into $ 2000 diagnostic sticks that connect to iOS devices.

Historically, ultrasound devices were bulky imaging devices that peered into the human body, emitting high-frequency sound waves from it. They also needed qualified medical professionals to manage them. But the Butterfly iQ gadget can now help healthcare providers more easily “see” patients even thousands of kilometers away.

The beauty of Butterfly’s approach to remote medicine is that you don’t need to know anything about ultrasound systems to use the device. If a Butterfly IQ is provided to the patient, they can connect it to a smartphone and receive professional guidance with prompts on the screen to help them orient the probe correctly.

The same goes for nurses or orderlies in hospitals, have not always learned to use ultrasound equipment.

We add that researchers from the United States and King’s College have developed an artificial intelligence program that can predict someone’s COVID-19. The model uses data from a program called COVID Symptom Study to predict new coronavirus infection.

Researchers say this could help people in areas where access to testing is limited. Two clinical trials in the UK and the US should begin soon.

The research team studied which symptoms of COVID-19 are most often associated with a positive test. They warn against focusing only on fever and cough. Scientists found that the loss of taste and smell (anosmia) was impressive: two-thirds of users who tested positive for coronavirus infection reported this symptom compared to more than one-fifth of participants who tested negative.

The findings suggest that anosmia is a stronger prognostic factor of COVID-19 than fever, confirming unconfirmed reports of loss of smell and taste as a common symptom of the disease.