Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. adults use fitness trackers, smartwatches and other wearables to monitor their activity and improve health habits, according to a 2019 Gallup poll. Increasingly, these devices also are being used to identify and monitor individuals when they are ill.

The Boston-based tech company behind the fitness tracker WHOOP, for example, is partnering with researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and CQ University in Australia to look for patterns between WHOOP users’ respiratory rates and COVID-19 infections. 

Using a built-in sensor that collects data 50 to 100 times per second, it specifically monitors sleep, recovery and strain based on heart rate variability, resting heart rate and sleep cycles. Over the past three years, researchers discovered that when users were getting sick, their data would show signs of physiological changes, including an increase in heart rate, a decrease in heart rate variability and an elevated respiratory rate — days before they showed any symptoms of an illness.

Researchers believe that detecting signs of an elevated respiratory rate could help further research on early identification of the virus. The company is in the process of gathering data from thousands of users who have had COVID-19 to better understand the virus’ trajectory.

Beyond monitoring warning signs of the coronavirus, these devices also can help track long-term secondary effects, such as sleep quality, and psychological and physical impacts, researchers say.

The devices may help detect potential skilled nursing residents and staff who may have the virus, even before symptoms arise, and help facilities monitor COVID-19 patients to make better decisions about who should be hospitalized, and when.