How partners are using Happitech
technology during COVID19
Using Happitech’s smartphone medically validated technology it is possible to measure a range of vital signs connected to the symptoms of COVID-19 (Fever, Infection, and Difficulty breathing). This provides crucial information, hour to hour, on the progress of the patients. Happitech’s CE certified technology allows to track populations at a large scale and track the biomarkers of the disease over time:
Heart Rate
Linked to upcoming fever, higher
heart rates linked to infection
Heart Rate variability
Linked to breathing rates, stress and
deterioration of cardiovascular activity
Atrial fibrillation
Linked to increased risk of
COVID-19
Using these vital signs, Happitech enables large scale monitoring simply by using the
smartphone with no additional hardware, providing important health information.
One of the top 8 Dutch startups in the fight against COVID19
Happitech’s work has been recognized as one of the top 8 Dutch startups in the fight against COVID19 by the Prince of the Netherlands – Prins Constantijn of Oranje and the Dutch Startup Ecosystem Techleap.
Happitech COVID19 Use cases
Happitech has provided their heart rate technology as a module in a popular Corona Check App. Elevated heart rate might be a sign of infection and used in combination with other symptoms it can help prioritize patient care. The current use case is using elevated resting heart rate (>100) as a sign that an infection is present. If you have symptoms like shortness of breath + a fever of 38 °C in addition to elevated heart rate1, it could be a sign of infection and you might need to go to the hospital. The physician uses this information such as symptoms and heart rate to make informed care decisions and prioritize care.
60% of patients have avoided going to hospitals and doctors for care from the fear of infection during COVID19 2 Heart patients are avoiding important care and arrhythmias have been causing strokes some of which have been due to COVID193. Together with the largest heart hospital, we have developed a solution for monitoring heart patients from the comfort of their home using their own smartphone. Currently close to a 1000 patients are under monitoring.
Using the data generated by the Photoplethysmography signal it is possible to conduct large scale decentralized clinical studies that easily collect medical grade data using the smartphone. For example: The MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge has launched a research project using a remote monitoring platform together with our partner Huma in the Fenland Study.4
Through Huma’s smartphone app, researchers will ask participants to provide detailed health data including Happitech’s smartphone measurements to provide insights into the detection and progression of COVID-19.
The science behind
Heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) are easily measured using today’s wearables and Happitech technology and can potentially provide early signs of illness.
One the main reasons is that elevated heart rate is linked with increased risk of infection as a 1 °C rise in body temperature can increase heart rate by 8.5 beats per minute (b.p.m.) on average. 8
Initial results show it detected 15% of cases the day before symptoms began showing, 24% on the first day of symptoms and 33% of cases the day after. 9
1. “Cardiovascular complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome” – Pub Med. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
3. “Cardiovascular complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome“. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
4. “MRC Epidemiology Unit launches study to monitor COVID-19” 23 Jul. 2020. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
5. “Assessment of physiological signs associated with COVID-19 measured using wearable devices” . 30 Nov. 2020. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
6. “Learning from Large-Scale Wearable Device Data for Predicting the Epidemic Trend of COVID-19” – Hindawi. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
7.”Pre-symptomatic detection of COVID-19 from smartwatch data” – Nature. 18 Nov. 2020, . Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
8. “Fever and Cardiac Rhythm “| JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
9. Fitbit study predicts onset of COVID-19 and hospitalization likelihood“, 1 Dec. 2020. Accessed 31 Mar. 2021.
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