How Israeli Researchers Used Smartwatches to Scrutinize Covid Vaccines – J.

team of researchers Tel Aviv University has published a study that will have “wide-ranging implications” for research on vaccine safety, scientists said. The study relied in part on data obtained using thousands of smartwatches to confirm the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine.

A large two-year clinical study took place at a time when there were fewer eligible individuals choosing to receive Covid-19 booster shots in the U.S. In California, 72.5% of eligible residents had primary Covid-19 Although they received a series of vaccines, only 60.7% of Californians received a booster after the first two doses. And just 21.4% of eligible Californians said they received his latest bivalent Covid-19 booster shot. Statewide Immunization Data Reported through CA.gov.

Researchers working in the field of epidemiology and ‘big data’ analytics at Tel Aviv University have used medical health records and subjective participants, as well as health metrics collected from smartwatches, to develop Covid-19 vaccines. and tried to determine the safety of the booster. reaction.

Researchers put 4,698 Israelis on smartwatches to monitor vital and health indicators such as heart rate, changes in thermal activity, sleep quality, and daily steps taken. Participants also completed a daily questionnaire that allowed them to report any significant side effects of the vaccine or changes in their health. Additionally, with their permission, the researchers analyzed the health records of 250,000 of her randomly selected members. Maccabi Healthcare Servicesone of four health maintenance organizations operating in Israel.

Participants in the main study were divided into two groups. Of the participants, he said 2,038 received a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,660 did not.

Our studies confirm the safety of the vaccine.

Researchers used medical files, smartwatch data, and questionnaire responses to compare the status of vaccinated patients to baseline health status 42 days before and 42 days after vaccination.

Dan Yamin, director of the Institute of Communicable Diseases at Tel Aviv University, said: “There were clear and important changes after administration of the vaccine, including an increase in heart rate compared to the pulse rate measured before vaccination. “We then found that the participants returned to baseline, meaning that post-vaccination pulse levels returned to their previous levels after six days,” he added. “Thus, our study confirms the safety of the vaccine.”

The researchers also found no difference in the physiological responses recorded by the smartwatch or reported by the participants after receiving a second booster months later.

By studying the health records of randomly selected Maccabi Healthcare members, researchers checked for the frequency of rare and unusual side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis (swelling of the tissue surrounding the heart). . related to vaccines.

This research was conducted by a PhD student and several professors from TAU’s Fleischman School of Engineering in collaboration with the Kahn Sagol Maccabi Research and Innovation Center (the research and innovation institute of Maccabi Healthcare Services).Findings will be announced on November 18, 2022 Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

One of the study’s most surprising findings was that the smartwatch measured distinct changes in heart rate for several days longer than participants reported experiencing side effects such as headaches and fatigue. Some participants who received the Covid-19 vaccine reported experiencing no side effects, even though the smartwatch detected physiological changes.

“The smartwatch’s sensors ‘felt’ the vaccine was safe, the vaccinees themselves reported that the vaccine was safe, and ultimately doctors decided the vaccine was safe,’ Yamin said. I’m here. “The results of this study have far-reaching implications for objective testing of future vaccine safety.”