Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect COVID-19 infection in people's voices by means of a mobile phone app, according to research to be presented on Monday at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The AI model used in this research is more accurate than lateral flow/rapid antigen tests and is cheap, quick and easy to use, which means it can be used in low-income countries where PCR tests are expensive and/or difficult to distribute. Ms Wafaa Aljbawi, a researcher at the Institute of Data Science, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, told the congress that the AI model was accurate 89% of the time, whereas the accuracy of lateral flow tests varied widely depending on the brand. Also, lateral flow tests were considerably less accurate at detecting COVID infection in people who showed no symptoms. COVID-19 infection usually affects the upper respiratory track and vocal cords, leading to changes in a person's voice.

A ground-breaking app which can detect coronavirus in your voice has been developed in a major scientific breakthrough. The AI-powered technology is easier to use and more accurate than a lateral flow test, scientists say. The mobile app takes less than a minute to flag positive cases and gives an accurate result 89 per cent of the time and negative cases 83 per cent of the time. The accuracy of lateral flow tests varies widely and could miss between 20 per cent and 81 per cent of positive cases in different settings, according to Imperial College London. The new app could be used to very quickly screen people for the bug before they attend mass events such as concerts and big sports matches.

PocDoc has secured a CE mark for its AI driven digital reader of lateral flow tests. The cloud-based system allows any smartphone or tablet to become a digital reader of lateral flow tests and has been recorded as having over 98% accuracy. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of using lateral flow testing at scale and PocDoc's platform is a cost-effective solution to digitise and verify the test results, store the data, and integrate it back into healthcare systems with full end-to-end traceability so it can be analysed and acted upon in real-time. PocDoc's platform and accompanying smartphone app will allow any healthcare organisation to roll out lateral flow testing for any disease or marker at scale. This technology has huge applications in the developing world where the nearest pathology lab could be thousands of miles away from localised disease outbreaks.

This article is based on research findings that are yet to be peer-reviewed. Results are therefore regarded as preliminary and should be interpreted as such. Find out about the role of the peer review process in research here. For further information, please contact the cited source. As society transitions to "living with COVID-19", having access to both efficient and accurate screening tools is integral.

This article is based on research findings that are yet to be peer-reviewed. Results are therefore regarded as preliminary and should be interpreted as such. Find out about the role of the peer review process in research here. For further information, please contact the cited source. As society transitions to "living with COVID-19", having access to both efficient and accurate screening tools is integral.