The project, entitled, ‘Using daily Heart Rate Variability measures to identify the onset and severity of COVID-19’ is one of just 800 selected from over 8,500 applications to receive funding.

HRV Fit has been awarded a grant from Innovate UK for ‘Business-led innovation in response to global disruption’ as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, running for 3 months from 1st June 2020, aims to investigate the relationship between symptoms of COVID-19 and heart rate variability (HRV). Researchers will investigate whether changes in daily HRV measures can predict the onset and subsequent severity of COVID-19 in normally healthy individuals.

“We’ve known for some time that HRV is a sensitive indicator of many forms of stress on the body, and is also closely related to activation of the immune system, so we are really excited to be given this opportunity to investigate the relationship more closely. We’re hoping to see whether there is evidence that HRV can spot the body’ reaction to COVID-19 before first symptoms appear, and perhaps even to predict how badly infected the person is likely to get.” HRV Fit Ltd. Managing Director, Simon Wegerif.

If the project demonstrates a relationship between COVID and HRV, this will be analysed to see when the changes in HRV data are evident, compared to when someone first gets symptoms of COVID-19. This could lead to an early warning before symptoms present, which could lead to HRV being incorporated into wider symptom tracking tools. The project will also see if changes in HRV are related to the severity of symptoms that individuals experience. Early detection of probable COVID-19 cases could enable earlier self-isolation, and/or earlier testing to help prevent the spread of the disease. Intelligence about the severity of the infection could also help individuals to manage their disease progression.

Executive Chair, Innovate UK, Dr Ian Campbell, said: “Businesses from all over the UK have answered our call rapidly to meet the challenges we face today and in the future through the power of innovation. The ideas we have seen can truly make a significant impact on society, improve the lives of individuals, especially those in vulnerable groups and enable businesses to prosper in challenging circumstances.”