View source for Software:COVID Symptom Study

{{Short description|COVID-19 mobile research app}}
{{infobox software
| logo = Covid Symptom Study App icon.png
| genre = [[Software:COVID-19 apps|COVID-19 apps]]
| developer = {{hlist|[[Organization:King's College London|King's College London]]|Guy's Hospital |St Thomas' Hospital|Zoe Global Limited}}
| operating system = [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Software:IOS|iOS]]
| name = 
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
The '''COVID Symptom Study''', formerly the '''COVID Symptom Tracker''',<ref name="chan-11may">{{cite news |last1=Chan |first1=Andrew |last2=Spector |first2=Tim |title=Coronavirus: research reveals way to predict infection – without a test |url=https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-research-reveals-way-to-predict-infection-without-a-test-138284 |access-date=12 May 2020 |work=The Conversation |date=11 May 2020 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512031334/https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-research-reveals-way-to-predict-infection-without-a-test-138284 |archive-date=12 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> is a [[Medicine:COVID-19|COVID-19]] [[Social:Epidemiology|epidemiological]] research [[Mobile app|mobile app]] developed in the United Kingdom that runs on [[Software:Android (operating system)|Android]] and [[Software:IOS|iOS]]. It is a collaboration between [[Organization:King's College London|King's College London]], Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and Zoe Global Limited, with funding granted by the UK government until April 2022.<ref name="x2">{{cite web |title=ZOE government funding has been cancelled, but we’re not stopping |url=https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/government-funding-announcement |website=covid.joinzoe.com |publisher=ZOE Covid Study |access-date=23 April 2022 |date=15 March 2022}}</ref>  The purpose of the app is to track symptoms and other salient data in a large number of people to enable epidemiological results to be calculated.

From May 2022 the name of the study began to be changed to the Zoe Health Study, although {{As of|2022|June|lc=y}} the app continues to use the COVID Symptom Study name.<ref>{{Cite web |title=COVID Symptom Study App |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joinzoe.covid_zoe&hl=en_GB&gl=US |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=Google Play |language=en}}</ref>

Zoe Global Limited also provides in the US and UK, as a separate product, a system that allows people to analyse their unique gut, blood fat and blood sugar responses to food, saying that it enables people to "make the best decisions for your own health & weight goals".<ref>{{Cite web |title=ZOE - Understand how your body responds to food |author= |website=Zoe |date= |access-date=11 June 2022 |url= https://joinzoe.com/}}</ref><!--Needed as ZOE (company) redirects here. If necessary a separate article could eventually be made for the company.-->

==Timeline==
The idea for an app to track the spread of COVID-19 came from professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at [[Organization:King's College London|King's College London]]. In the early months of 2020 he used his startup company ZOE Global Limited to build the Covid Symptom Tracker app in collaboration with King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals.<ref name=Wired/><ref name=BBC>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52033210| title=Coronavirus: Tracking app aims for one million downloads| work=BBC News| date=25 March 2020| access-date=11 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501170807/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52033210| archive-date=1 May 2020| url-status=live}}</ref> Initially the project was UK-based, where there is open membership.<ref name="SD">{{cite news|date=5 May 2020|title=Researchers release COVID-19 symptom tracker app|work=ScienceDaily|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200505105325.htm|url-status=live|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506004834/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200505105325.htm|archive-date=6 May 2020}}</ref> In the United States at a later date{{when|date=September 2020}} various cohorts from existing studies were added, including from the [[Medicine:Nurses' Health Study|Nurses' Health Study]]; this research was in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital.<ref name=SD/> The project website states that "The app is and always will be free, and any data you provide will not be used for commercial purposes."<ref>{{cite web |title=About this Research: FAQs: Will someone make money off my data? |url=https://covid.joinzoe.com/about#faqs |website=covid.joinzoe.com |publisher=Covid Symptom Study |access-date=12 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506184055/https://covid.joinzoe.com/about#faqs |archive-date=6 May 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the end of April 2020, the project received assistance from the Department of Health and Social Care which allowed it to offer up to 10,000 COVID-19 tests each week to participants.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=30 April 2020|title=COVID-19 testing for app users: your questions answered|url=https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-testing-uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501164037/https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-testing-uk |archive-date=1 May 2020 |access-date=2020-11-01|website=COVID Symptom Study}}</ref>

The app was released as a trial for 5,000 twins,<ref name="DH">{{cite news| url=https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/03/kings-college-london-covid-19-app/| title=King's College London launches Covid-19 symptom reporting app| work=Digital Health| date=25 March 2020| access-date=10 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503055825/https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/03/kings-college-london-covid-19-app/| archive-date=3 May 2020| url-status=live}}</ref> using patients involved in other Zoe research projects.<ref name="Wired">{{cite magazine| url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/covid-symptom-tracker-app-coronavirus-uk| title=The inside story of the UK's biggest coronavirus symptom tracker app| magazine=Wired| date=26 March 2020| access-date=11 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505050055/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/covid-symptom-tracker-app-coronavirus-uk| archive-date=5 May 2020| url-status=live}}</ref> It was later expanded for use by non-twins.<ref name="Wired" /> The app entered the UK App Store and [[Software:Play Store|Play Store]] on 24 March, and the US App and Play stores on 29 March.<ref name="SD" />

In August 2020, the UK government made a grant of £2{{Nbsp}}million to support data collection by the project,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=19 August 2020|title=Expansion of national testing study will offer new COVID-19 insights|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/huge-boost-to-national-testing-study-will-offer-new-covid-19-insights|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819083903/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/huge-boost-to-national-testing-study-will-offer-new-covid-19-insights |archive-date=19 August 2020 |access-date=2020-11-01|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Department of Health and Social Care|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Crouch|first=Hannah|date=2020-08-19|title=ZOE Covid-19 Symptom Study app awarded £2m government grant|url=https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/08/zoe-covid-19-symptom-study-app-government-grant/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926122011/https://www.digitalhealth.net/2020/08/zoe-covid-19-symptom-study-app-government-grant/ |archive-date=26 September 2020 |access-date=2020-11-01|website=Digital Health|language=en-GB}}</ref> and by August 2021, government funding amounted to £5m.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Murgia|first=Madhumita|date=31 July 2021|title=Tim Spector: the data explorer who uncovered vital clues to Covid|url=https://www.ft.com/content/b1b60f54-5d32-4644-a5f9-27af3c1704c7|url-access=registration|url-status=live|access-date=1 August 2021|website=Financial Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731040724/https://www.ft.com/content/b1b60f54-5d32-4644-a5f9-27af3c1704c7 |archive-date=31 July 2021 }}</ref> In May 2021, the associated company name was changed from ZOE Global Limited to ZOE Limited.<ref>{{cite web|title=ZOE Limited|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10902884|access-date=25 July 2021|website=Companies House}}</ref>

Government funding (latterly via the [[Organization:UK Health Security Agency|UK Health Security Agency]]) ceased at the end of March 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 June 2022 |title=COVID-19 surveillance and immunity studies up to March 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-surveillance/covid-19-surveillance-and-immunity-studies-up-to-march-2022 |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=GOV.UK |publisher=UK Health Security Agency |language=en}}</ref><ref name="x2"/>

In May 2022, ZOE announced that the name of the study would change to ZOE Health Study, to reflect its use in logging symptoms extending beyond those of COVID-19.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 May 2022 |title=Introducing the ZOE Health Study |url=https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/introducing-the-zoe-health-study |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=ZOE COVID Study}}</ref>

== Uptake ==
[[File:Covid Symptom Tracker screenshot.PNG|thumb|right]]
Within 24 hours of being available in the UK, the app had been downloaded over 1&nbsp;million times.<ref name="Wired" /> A paper using data collected in the four weeks up to 21 April 2020 analysed symptoms from 2.45{{Nbsp}}million people in the UK and 168,000 in the US.<ref name="menni" /> As of May 2020, the app had been downloaded by over 3&nbsp;million people,<ref name="SD" /> including 2&nbsp;million Britons.<ref name="Ind">{{cite news|date=26 April 2020|title=Covid symptom tracker app suggests 350,000 could have untested coronavirus|work=The Independent|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/health/covid-symptom-tracker-app-suggests-350000-could-have-untested-coronavirus-2550264|url-status=live|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505224303/https://inews.co.uk/news/health/covid-symptom-tracker-app-suggests-350000-could-have-untested-coronavirus-2550264|archive-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> By 17 July the number exceeded 4 million.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wise|first=Jacqui|date=2020-07-20|title=Covid-19: Study reveals six clusters of symptoms that could be used as a clinical prediction tool|journal=BMJ|volume=370|language=en|pages=m2911|doi=10.1136/bmj.m2911|pmid=32690476|issn=1756-1833|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The number of active app users is not published. In late October 2020, Spector said that a million users were reporting symptoms most days.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-SwbhDIdxY&t=50s|title=Weekly update|date=29 October 2020|publisher=Tim Spector|medium=YouTube}}</ref> Researchers who analysed data collected in the last three months of 2020 said they used more than 65 million health reports from 1.76 million users.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Steves|first=Claire|date=1 February 2021|title=No evidence for changes in symptoms from new coronavirus variant|url=https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/no-evidence-for-changes-in-symptoms-from-new-coronavirus-variant|url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-19|website=COVID Symptom Study|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203193753/https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/no-evidence-for-changes-in-symptoms-from-new-coronavirus-variant |archive-date=3 February 2021 }}</ref> By July 2021, the app had been used by 4.6{{Nbsp}}million people in Britain and about a quarter of that number continued to self-report every day.<ref name=":1" />

==Research==
The COVID Symptom Study requires users to give their location.<ref name=Ind/> Users give personal information including age, gender and location, and report if they have any underlying [[Medicine:Chronic condition|chronic condition]]s.<ref name=BMJ>{{cite journal| url=https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1263| title=Covid-19: Researchers launch app to track spread of symptoms in the UK| journal=[[Medicine:The BMJ|The BMJ]]| date=27 March 2020| doi=10.1136/bmj.m1263| access-date=11 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410043052/https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1263| archive-date=10 April 2020| url-status=live| last1=Mayor| first1=Susan| s2cid=214671164| volume=368| pages=m1263| pmid=32220898| doi-access=free}}</ref> They also answer questions related to common COVID-19 symptoms, and input any illness or symptoms that they have,<ref name=SD/><ref name=Wired/> as well as stating whether they have been tested for COVID-19.<ref name=BMJ/> Beginning in May 2020, a random sample of users is selected (on the first day they report symptoms) for a swab test.<ref name=":0" /> Researchers then use statistical analysis to determine which symptoms are likely to indicate COVID-19,<ref name=Ind/> rather than the [[Medicine:Common cold|common cold]] or seasonal [[Medicine:Influenza|influenza]].<ref name=Wired/> The app does not have any [[Software:Digital contact tracing|contact tracing]] functionality.<ref name=SD/>

Based on the data inputted into the app, researchers estimated that when cases peaked on 1 April 2020, 2.1&nbsp;million people in the UK aged between 20 and 69 may have had COVID-19, and that as of 23 May 2020, 280,000 people in that age range currently had symptoms consistent with COVID-19.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52770313| title=Coronavirus: Five things a Covid-19 symptom-tracking app tells us| work=BBC News| date=23 May 2020| access-date=23 May 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523014246/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52770313| archive-date=23 May 2020| url-status=live}}</ref> The study also estimates the risk level to health workers, compared with the general public.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Press release: Increased risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers|url=https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/healthcare-workers|website=covid.joinzoe.com|access-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510203141/https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/healthcare-workers|archive-date=10 May 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Research based on the app was described in papers in ''Science'' on 5 May 2020<ref name="drew-5may">{{cite journal |last1=Drew |first1=David A. |last2=Nguyen |first2=Long H. |last3=Steves |first3=Claire J. |last4=Menni |first4=Cristina |last5=Freydin |first5=Maxim |last6=Varsavsky |first6=Thomas |last7=Sudre |first7=Carole H. |last8=Cardoso |first8=M. Jorge |last9=Ourselin |first9=Sebastien |last10=Wolf |first10=Jonathan |last11=Spector |first11=Tim D. |last12=Chan |first12=Andrew T. |title=Rapid implementation of mobile technology for real-time epidemiology of COVID-19 |journal=Science |date=5 May 2020 |volume=368 |issue=6497 |pages=1362–1367 |doi=10.1126/science.abc0473 |pmid=32371477 |pmc=7200009 |bibcode=2020Sci...368.1362D }}</ref> and in ''Nature'' on 11 May 2020.<ref name="menni">{{cite journal |last1=Menni |first1=Cristina |last2=Valdes |first2=Ana M. |last3=Freidin |first3=Maxim B. |last4=Sudre |first4=Carole H. |last5=Nguyen |first5=Long H. |last6=Drew |first6=David A. |last7=Ganesh |first7=Sajaysurya |last8=Varsavsky |first8=Thomas |last9=Cardoso |first9=M. Jorge |last10=El-Sayed Moustafa |first10=Julia S. |last11=Visconti |first11=Alessia |last12=Hysi |first12=Pirro |last13=Bowyer |first13=Ruth C. E. |last14=Mangino |first14=Massimo |last15=Falchi |first15=Mario |last16=Wolf |first16=Jonathan |last17=Ourselin |first17=Sebastien |last18=Chan |first18=Andrew T. |last19=Steves |first19=Claire J. |last20=Spector |first20=Tim D. |s2cid=218572997 |title=Real-time tracking of self-reported symptoms to predict potential COVID-19 |journal=Nature Medicine |date=11 May 2020 |volume=26 |issue=7 |pages=1037–1040 |doi=10.1038/s41591-020-0916-2 |pmid=32393804 |pmc=7751267 |language=en |issn=1546-170X |doi-access=free }}</ref> Using data from the app, researchers were able to identify six distinct types of COVID-19 and forecast which initial symptoms were more likely to lead to severe illnesses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sudre|first1=Carole H.|last2=Lee|first2=Karla|last3=Ni Lochlainn|first3=Mary|last4=Varsavsky|first4=Thomas|last5=Murray|first5=Benjamin|last6=Graham|first6=Mark S.|last7=Menni|first7=Cristina|last8=Modat|first8=Marc|last9=Bowyer|first9=Ruth C.E.|last10=Nguyen|first10=Long H.|last11=Drew|first11=David Alden|date=2020-06-16|title=Symptom clusters in Covid19: A potential clinical prediction tool from the COVID Symptom study app|journal=Science Advances|volume=7|issue=12|pages=eabd4177|language=en|doi=10.1126/sciadv.abd4177 |pmid=33741586| pmc=7978420  |s2cid=219700229|url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10125064/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-07-17|title=Six distinct 'types' of COVID-19 identified|url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/six-distinct-types-of-covid-19-identified|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718141217/https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/six-distinct-types-of-covid-19-identified |archive-date=18 July 2020 |access-date=2020-08-19|website=King's College London - News - Spotlight on Research|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Software:NHS COVID-19|NHS COVID-19]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joinzoe.covid_zoe App at Google Play]
*[https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/covid-symptom-study/id1503529611 App at Apple's App Store]



[[Category:Android (operating system) software]]
[[Category:IOS software]]

{{Sourceattribution|COVID Symptom Study|1}}