Deep Learning for COVID-19 Diagnosis

Over the last several months, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly become a global pandemic, resulting in nearly 480,000 COVID-19 related deaths as of June 25, 2020 [6]. While the disease can manifest in a variety of ways--ranging from asymptomatic conditions or flu-like symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome--the most common presentation associated with morbidity and mortality is the presence of opacities and consolidation in a patient's lungs. Upon inhalation, the virus attacks and inhibits the lungs' alveoli, which are responsible for oxygen exchange. This opacification is visible on computed tomography (CT) scans. Due to their increased densities, these areas appear as partially opaque regions with increased attenuation, which is known as a ground-glass opacity (GGO).