Smartwatches can do more than count steps, with research showing they can detect coronavirus infections days before diagnosis.

One of the keys to fighting the coronavirus is early detection and diagnosis. The faster a person is diagnosed and quarantined, the less likely they are to spread the virus to others. Adequate testing has long been a major problem, making it difficult to bring the outbreak under control. Adding to the challenge is the long incubation period of COVID-19 and the fact that patients can spread the disease before symptoms become apparent.

"We already know that heart rate variability markers change as inflammation develops in the body, and Covid is an incredible inflammatory event," Rob Hirten, assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told CBS Money Watch. People can get infected unknowingly. "

The discovery could be another important step in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and could lead to a surge in demand for wearables.