A large study has validated VocalisCheck, a screening tool designed by Vocalis Health that uses voice diagnostics to identify signs of COVID-19. Conducted in India partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai NESCO COVID-19 Center, the study supports VocalisCheck as an effective option to help minimize the costs and time involved in PCR tests.
VocalisCheck is a mobile or web-based software platform that records users as they count from 50 to 70. The software translates their voice data into an image called a spectrogram. The platform’s AI learning algorithm compares the spectrogram features with voice recordings from COVID-19-positive patients.
The new study found that VocalisCheck correctly identified patients infected with the novel coronavirus at a rate of 81.2 percent. This significant percentage means that initial screening with VocalisCheck could help identify high-risk individuals for PCR testing. Conducted via a nose swab, PCR testing — currently considered the most accurate COVID-19 test — detects RNA specific to SARS-CoV-2.
VocalisCheck has also recently earned the European CE mark, the first voice diagnostic solution to receive the mark for a COVID-19 screening tool. That bodes well for the rapid, cost-effective, easy-to-use screening tool, which may prove to be a strong player in the global race to discover new methods of detecting the disease. Even as vaccines become widely available, screening and contact tracing continue to be essential in fighting the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
