Changing How America Checks Temperatures Could Help States Catch More COVID-19 Cases

Throughout the pandemic, the odds are that as you enter a restaurant or doctor’s office, somebody will point a thermometer gun at your forehead in order to evaluate your temperature. Your temperature is being measured to try to recognize whether or not you have an increased body temperature, which is symptomatic of fever, one of the primary signs of COVID-19. What many companies have found is that using infrared thermal body temperature kiosk work better. They are quick, unassuming, and non-invasive. You can quickly screen many individuals without troubling them, for example, travelers moving through an airport or folks entering a bar.

But let’s be honest… we still need to find a way for an even more precise mass-screening process, and yes infrared thermometer kiosks are already very popular, what can else be done to develop their precision?

We know that our body’s extremities are more sensitive to the overall thermal profile of the body – that fingers, for instance, increase or decrease their temperature relatively a lot as deep body temperature increases and declines a little. In contrast, the head – specifically the corners of the eyes – are more dependable and reflective of deep body temperature. Observing these parts of the body and the difference in temperature between them could offer a more accurate signal of whether deep body temperature is elevated due to fever. This would work because in numerous scenarios in which deep body temperature surges, the temperature of the extremities also surges – for example in exercise, when drinking alcohol, getting hot when wearing too many clothes, and so on. As a result, the variance between the temperature of the eye and fingers decreases. This wouldn’t be flawless. Other circumstances can also increase this alteration, including some age-related circumstances. And, as we’ve noted, not all ill people cultivate fever symptoms. But it would be a stride in the right direction, and so is worthy of further contemplation. We’re doubtful COVID-19 will be the last pandemic, and we owe it to upcoming generations to learn what we can from this one to help organize for the next.