The research endeavour relies on voluntary participation in the respective CDCVA survey. In order to do so, you only need 5 minutes with your smartphone in a quiet place. After filling out some basic information on your medical records, you use the phone’s microphone to record the sound of your cough, breath, and voice.
The samples are then analysed by researchers from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). Dr Muhannad Ismael, who is in charge of the project, emphasises that all privacy laws will be respected throughout the process. Since the beginning of November, the team has been assembling samples from both Covid patients and healthy people to monitor vocal differences caused by the infection of the respiratory system. These changes can be analysed with the help of AI.
Even though the software will not be able to fully replace PCR tests or blood samples, it may be used by doctors who conduct phone consultations, or alternatively by emergency service hotlines in the not too distant future. “The great advantage of the method is that it is cheap and able to cover a large number of people in short period of time”, Dr Ismael explains. Both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge are pursuing a similar projects at the moment. They are also collecting data and have not yet released an application.
Even though the pandemic may be brought under control in the not too distant future with the help of a vaccine, the research efforts will not be futile. The data and software can still be used as a basis for recognising potential new infections.
Around 400 people have thus far participated in the CDCVA survey. A minimum of 2,000 participants is needed to develop a precise application, out of which a significant number need to be Covid patients. Dr Ismael hopes that the survey will soon be promoted at Covid test stations and in case of positive results.
Survey participation link: https://cdcva.list.lu/
