The app detected Covid-19 in 92% of people with the infection by using machine learning to analyse the sound of a patient's cough
ResApp's screening test was performed on 741 patients in the trial. (Credit: Lela Maffie from Pixabay)
ResApp Health has announced that its new cough audio-based Covid-19 screening test using a smartphone showed positive results in a trial.
The screening test was performed on 741 patients (446 Covid-19 positive) in an exploratory clinical trial conducted in the US and India.
The test, which uses machine learning to analyse the sound of a patient’s cough, was able to accurately detect Covid-19 in 92% of the infected people in the trial.
Australia-based ResApp intends to market the test as a non-invasive, quick, smartphone-only screening test for Covid-19. It is performed before a rapid antigen (RAT) or PCR test to identify the virus.
ResApp CEO and managing director Tony Keating said: “This non-invasive, smartphone test will offer a unique opportunity to provide a rule-out screening test for COVID-19 at scale across the world, delivering huge savings to government, insurers and the public as well as significantly reducing the environmental impact of rapid antigen and PCR tests.
“These results also build our confidence in the development of patient management and monitoring tools for COVID-19 and expanding our research into long-COVID.”
In the trial, the Covid-19 screening test achieved a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 80%.
ResApp’s smartphone-based screening test takes less than 30 seconds to complete the entire process of detecting Covid-19, with its easy-to-use and instant features.
In addition, the test provides unlimited scalability and eliminates supply chain or distribution issues, the company said.
According to ResApp, the test is suitable in settings where frequent Covid-19 testing is needed, such as employee, healthcare worker and student screening, travel, sports, entertainment, and aged care.