When a cough is enough to detect Covid-19

An artificial intelligence application from Serba Dinamik Holdings, named AI-Screen, is said to identify people infected with Covid-19. (Rawpixel pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm developed by the engineering company Serba Dinamik has correctly identified people with Covid-19 just by the sound of a cough, the company said today.

Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd said its artificial intelligence team had performed clinical tests on 150 participants which showed 94% sensitivity for symptomatic cases among people who had received official positive Covid-19 RT-PCR test results, and 88% on those who had no other symptoms.

“In mass testing with 1,009 participants, it achieved 94% accuracy, 96% sensitivity and 94% specificity,” the statement said.

The application, named AI-Screen, was being evaluated by the science, technology and innovation ministry’s National Technology and Innovation Sandbox, the company said.

Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah.

Serba Dinamik said the test could be used for daily screening of students, workers and the public or for pool testing to quickly alert the outbreak in groups.

The company’s managing director and chief executive Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah said many studies showed that coughing was one of the key mechanisms for the spread of Covid-19.

Abdul Karim said AI-Screen was not meant to replace or compete with medical-grade testing but as a complement in controlling the pandemic.

He said the team was planning to collect more samples by focusing on the Delta variant of the coronavirus. - FMT