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    People enjoy a meal inside a tent, at a park in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. Reuters
  • French tenor Stephane Senechal sings at his window for the inhabitants of his street in Paris, France. EPA
    French tenor Stephane Senechal sings at his window for the inhabitants of his street in Paris, France. EPA
  • People practice social distancing as they sit on chairs spread apart in a waiting area for take-away food orders at a shopping mall in hopes of preventing the spread of the coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand. AP Photo
    People practice social distancing as they sit on chairs spread apart in a waiting area for take-away food orders at a shopping mall in hopes of preventing the spread of the coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand. AP Photo
  • A restaurant is seen closed as a woman walks past at an empty commercial area after local authorities restricted the activities of restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other similar businesses in West Palm Beach, Florida, US. Reuters
    A restaurant is seen closed as a woman walks past at an empty commercial area after local authorities restricted the activities of restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other similar businesses in West Palm Beach, Florida, US. Reuters
  • A passenger looks out the window as a medical worker walks past her carriage of a train with Ukrainians evacuated from Riga at a railway station in Kiev. AFP
    A passenger looks out the window as a medical worker walks past her carriage of a train with Ukrainians evacuated from Riga at a railway station in Kiev. AFP
  • People wearing face masks as a precautionary measure against covid-19 'elbow bump' as they stand in Greenwich in south London. AFP
    People wearing face masks as a precautionary measure against covid-19 'elbow bump' as they stand in Greenwich in south London. AFP
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    Ben Zwiehoff, the German national team's racing cyclist in the mountain bike cross-country discipline works on his balance on his bike in his flat, in Essen, western Germany. AFP
  • Gonzaga Yiga, a 49-year-old community chairperson, appeals to residents through a speaker from the tallest building of the area, in Kampala, Uganda. AFP
    Gonzaga Yiga, a 49-year-old community chairperson, appeals to residents through a speaker from the tallest building of the area, in Kampala, Uganda. AFP
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    A nurse anesthetist gestures during the disinfection of ambulances, in Brest, western France. AFP
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    A general view shows Serbian military personal setting up beds inside a hall at the Belgrade Fair to accommodate people suffering from mild symptoms of the coronavirus disease. AFP
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    A picture shows the Houses of Parliament at the end of an empty Westminster Bridge in central London, the morning after Britain ordered a lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP
  • People queue at the Immigration Office in Bangkok, as Thailand moves to close its borders after a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the past week. AFP
    People queue at the Immigration Office in Bangkok, as Thailand moves to close its borders after a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the past week. AFP
  • An aerial view of empty Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge, a cable-stayed bridge, on the first day of lockdown imposed by state government in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Reuters
    An aerial view of empty Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge, a cable-stayed bridge, on the first day of lockdown imposed by state government in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Reuters
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    A man passes by an LED outdoor screen during the coronavirus outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil. Reuters
  • A man attends customers through an opening from which hangs a handwritten sign that reads in Spanish: "Pharmacy on duty," in Caracas, Venezuela. AP Photo
    A man attends customers through an opening from which hangs a handwritten sign that reads in Spanish: "Pharmacy on duty," in Caracas, Venezuela. AP Photo
  • A deer walks across a pedestrian crossing in Nara, Japan. AP Photo
    A deer walks across a pedestrian crossing in Nara, Japan. AP Photo

Israeli defence ministry launches coronavirus voice-test study

An Israeli start-up company working with hospitals and academic institutions will sample voices of confirmed coronavirus patients through a mobile application

Reuters

March 25, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Analysis of Covid-19 patients’ voices could yield a “vocal fingerprint” to help detect symptoms of the disease in others and prioritise testing and treatment, the Israeli Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

From this week, an Israeli start-up company, Vocalis Health, will work with hospitals and academic institutions to collect samples using a mobile app in a research project led by the ministry.

“These voice samples will be analysed using an AI-based algorithm in order to identify the unique vocal fingerprint,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to artificial intelligence.

The coronavirus affects the respiratory system and signs of distress can be reflected in the patterns of a person’s voice and breathing.

Tal Wenderow, president and chief executive of Vocalis Health, said the algorithm would be used for remote diagnosis and monitoring.

At this stage, the app would be used only by medical staff working with the patients involved in the study, but the company’s website enables anyone to take part and send a voice sample to the researchers.

Researchers hope that healthcare systems will be able to use the data to prioritise testing and hospital admissions, allowing patients with mild symptoms to stay at home.

The ministry said the monitoring “can be conducted from afar, in order to prevent the spread of the disease and overburdening of the national healthcare system”.

Initial results are expected within six weeks.

Israel has reported 1,930 coronavirus cases and three deaths.