An algorithm developed by researchers in the United States has identified people with the coronavirus by the sound of their coughs.
The programme, which analyses sound patterns, achieved a 98.5 per cent success rate in tests involving people with an official Covid-19 diagnosis.
In asymptomatic patients, the figure rose to 100 per cent.
The researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology said the virus changes the way a person produces sound, but the difference is not detectable by human ears.
They collected about 70,000 audio samples, each of which contained a number of coughs.
Of those, 2,500 were from people with positive coronavirus tests.
MIT scientist Brian Subirana co-authored the paper, published in the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology.
“The way you produce sound changes when you have Covid, even if you’re asymptomatic,” he told the BBC.
Researchers said the algorithm could be used for the daily screening of students, staff and members of the public at schools, in workplaces and on public transport, or for pool testing to quickly flag outbreaks among groups.
The team is now working on using the findings to create an easy-to-use app which could provide a free and widely available method of identifying infections.
A user could log in each day, cough into their phone and instantly be told whether they might be infected and should follow up with a standard coronavirus test.
Such an app would require approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration, MIT said.
A similar project reported an 80 per cent success rate in identifying a combination of breath and cough sounds in July.
The PCR swab remains the gold standard for Covid-19 testing, but it is not the only screening tool at governments’ disposal.
Others include diffractive phase interferometry tests, which are in wide use across the UAE. They scan a person’s blood cells for signs of infection.
Sniffer dogs are also said to be highly accurate at picking out sufferers from a crowd. They have been stationed at airports across the country.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
