SINGAPORE – Those who have recovered from Covid-19 but are suffering from persistent symptoms such as shortness of breath can expect an app to help them recover through exercise.
The program, called MoveVid, offers patients a customized eight-week exercise program aimed at helping them return to their previous level of physical activity.
The app features animated characters demonstrating how to perform exercises such as squats, paired with a wearable pulse oximeter that measures heart rate and blood oxygen levels.
The app also encourages users to take breaks if they feel sick or short of breath, and provides infographics and guides to help patients learn how to exercise safely on their own.
It is expected to be generally available by the first quarter of 2023.
Symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath that last for more than three months after being infected with the new coronavirus are sometimes called “long Covid.”
In April, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a written response to parliamentary questions that his ministry had not tracked the number of patients with persistent symptoms after Covid-19.
But a study conducted in the Netherlands by researchers at the University of Groningen and published in the medical journal Lancet earlier this year found that one in eight adults infected with Covid-19 could experience Covid for a long time. Something has been suggested.
MoveVid was developed by a team of two doctors and four therapists from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and a local startup, Taggle Health.
A pilot study to test the safety and efficacy of the app’s exercise program began in May 2022 and recruited participants. The goal is to eventually have at least 10 suitable participants.
This app was conceived in 2020. At a time when pandemic restrictions were driving the need for remotely monitored exercise programs.
As most people experience mild symptoms and Singapore heads towards living with Covid-19, the team expands the use of the app to aid recovery from other respiratory illnesses. Sherrill Hen, senior physical therapist and lead investigator on the study, said.
