Secretive Porton Down scientists trial smart watch and other wearable tech that will be able to tell you if you have caught Covid

• Porton Down been researching if smartwatches could help detect coronavirus  
• Analysing data from the sensors, such as heart rate and blood oxygen levels 
• Hoping to identify patterns in those with coronavirus to help catch it earlier 
• Also made artificial finger to see how effectively Covid transfers from surfaces

Secretive Porton Down scientists are trialling a smart watch and other wearable tech that will be able to tell you if you have caught Covid. 

The top-secret government laboratory, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, has been developing ways to use everyday technology to help tackle the virus. 

Professor Tim Atkins told ITV News that the centre’s latest research is looking at catching coronavirus early by using the data recorded by wearable technology, including smartwatches.

Porton Down is working on a new project which aims to use data collected by technology, such as smart watches, to tell if someone has caught coronavirus

The research aims to catch the virus early, using data collected by sensors on the technology to identify patterns in those with Covid. The research, if successful, could detect coronavirus before someone feels ill. Pictured: Professor Tim Atkins speaking at Porton Down

Scientists in the labs are working on a new project which aims to use the data collected from technology, such as heart rate, movement and blood oxygen levels, to help identify patterns in those with the virus. 

While the study is in its early stages, it is hoped that if successful it could identify coronavirus before someone feels ill.  

Porton Down has been involved in several projects relating to coronavirus, including assessing whether the new mutant strains can be beaten with vaccines. 

The laboratory, which is often shrouded in secrecy, said in late January that it was increasingly confident vaccines will be able to counter new mutant strains of Covid 19.

The top-secret lab has been working on a range of experiments designed to tackle to spread of coronavirus

Porton Down has been looking into the mutant strains of Covid-19 and also created an artificial finger to test how the virus transfers from a surface on to the finger

Staff at the Government’s top-secret scientific research laboratory in Wiltshire have been examining different strains of the coronavirus since they were first identified at the end of 2020.

The Defence, Science and Technology lab, has also been working on developing an artificial finger to research how effectively the virus transfers from a surface on to a finger.

It forms part of its wider work looking at the effectiveness of disinfectants.

Porton Down is the only location in the UK where people are permitted to make chemical weapons, such as nerve agents. The substances never leave the facility.

It houses and studies some of the deadliest pathogens in the world, such as anthrax, plague and Ebola.

At the facility they create small scale chemicals to ensure methods developed to ensure detection systems are working efficiently.

Scientists from Porton Down were brought in to identify the nerve agent, later found to be Novichok, during the Salisbury poisonings in June 2018.

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