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A medical worker wearing a hazmat suit gets a swab sample at a health clinic in Wuhan to check if a man has the coronavirus on March 28. Photo: AFP

Signs of a coronavirus infection might be found in subtle changes in your voice, MIT research shows

  • Researchers found that changes in the movements of vocal muscles could be an indicator of whether someone has suffered an inflammation from Covid-19
  • Detection could eventually be used in apps to help identify asymptomatic carriers

Testing for Covid-19 currently involves a deep throat saliva sample or the dreaded nasal swab. But it might soon be as simple as listening to the sound of your voice.

By some estimates, asymptomatic carriers of the new coronavirus make up 40 per cent of all cases. Researchers at MIT believe changes in people’s voices might indicate whether or not they have been infected.
By analysing audio data from asymptomatic coronavirus carriers, researchers from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory have proposed a way to detect signs of Covid-19 by using audio samples. A person’s voice needs to be analysed by a computer, though, as the changes are too subtle to be picked up by human ears.

To conduct the test, the researchers used videos of five carriers from press conferences and interviews posted to YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. They analysed audio data from both before and after the carriers tested positive for the virus.

Major Preston Schaffner, of the 81st Civil Support Team, takes a swab sample from Scott Hennen, an asymptomatic volunteer, for a Covid-19 test in the car park of the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota on April 25. Photo: AFP
By using algorithms to analyse vocal signals, researchers detected disruptions in a person’s voice that could be caused by changes in movements of the larynx and muscles in the respiratory system. The researchers hypothesised that inflammation from the virus could cause less complex movement of the muscles across a person’s vocal systems as a result of becoming overly coupled.

To explain it more simply, one of the researchers likened it to a pianist’s fingers. Under normal circumstances, a pianist’s fingers move with high complexity. But if a person’s wrist and finger movements were stuck together, a pianist could only play simpler tunes.

With many places around the world facing a resurgence in coronavirus infections, the potential to more easily identify asymptomatic carriers could be helpful. Asymptomatic cases account for an estimated 40 to 45 per cent of all coronavirus infections.

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However, it is not clear how much asymptomatic carriers are involved in spreading the virus. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that such people “meaningfully contribute” to the continued spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation maintains that asymptomatic transmission is rare.

This new finding might eventually lead to an easy way for people to see whether they should get tested. According to MIT News, the team is planning to implement the idea through mobile apps, potentially allowing people to discover infections early. Doctors can also use it to remotely monitor the progress of their patients.

But this research remains in its early stages for now. And data from just five people is not a large sample size. In their paper, the researchers say the data needs to be validated by larger and more controlled data sets. Future research will also need to address the influence of different recording conditions for audio samples, they note.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Changes in voice could help sound out carriers
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