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Health Canada has not yet approved for widespread use the vital-signs monitoring app. It’s still being tested at the Jewish General. Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, executive director of the CIUSSS, said that pending Health Canada approval, it’s possible to allow health workers to download it to their smartphones.
The Quebec Health Ministry is excited about the app’s potential. Developed by a Tel Aviv company in collaboration with a Montreal health technology firm, the app allows users to monitor some of their vital signs by simply staring into their phone’s screen.
One of the early signs of COVID-19 — sometimes even before those who are infected may feel symptoms — is a high respiratory rate and low oxygen-saturation in the blood. Should health workers at home feel a bit off, they can peer into their smartphones and if the readings are abnormal, they’ll be to self-isolate pending a definitive diagnosis.
