UCC researchers develop early-warning system to detect Covid-19 symptoms in healthcare workers

Cork University Hospital

University College Cork (UCC) has developed a remote early-warning system to detect Covid-19 symptoms in frontline medical staff at Cork University Hospital.

The Covid-19 Remote Early Warning System (CREW), which has been developed with a software firm, remotely identifies those who may be developing a temperature and who shouldn't go to work.

The healthcare worker wears a digital thermometer sensor to measure body temperature and an alarm is generated if it gets too high.

"What we've done is linked up wearable technologies where there's an under-the-arm temperature monitor and wearable device that can monitor your heart rate and excercise and movement," said Director of the Assert Centre at UCC, Professor Barry O'Reilly, explaining how it works.

"By amalgamating all that, you can see if someone is developing a temperature which is one of the first signs of Covid infection."