Lee and Collier counties show fewer fevers than neighboring counties to the east, according to data from a medical supply company. (Maps and charts: Kinsa)
April 2, 2020 by David Silverberg.
Southwest Florida is becoming less feverish, according to mapping by a digital thermometer company that tracks cases of atypical temperatures in users of its thermometers.
According to the company, Kinsa, based in San Francisco, Calif., this means that social distancing is working in bringing down contagious fevers.
“Social distancing is slowing the spread of feverish illnesses across the country,” the company states on its website.
The dark blue indicates a reduction in the number of reported fevers, which have been declining statewide but particularly in Collier County.
However, the company cautions that this does not necessarily mean that cases of COVID-19 are declining—in fact those are expected to rise.
Nonetheless, it does show a decline in cases of atypical temperatures across the nation.
In Lee and Collier counties the cases of atypical temperatures declined by 11.9 percent from their peaks, which occurred on March 18 and 19.
Nationally, fevers peaked on March 17, according to the company.
The data and what the company calls its “Healthweather Map,” comes from its QuickCare and Smart Ear digital thermometers. These connect to a Kinsa App digital application that collects the information from the thermometer and provides personalized guidance and information for the user. It also uploads anonymous data on local illnesses and fevers to Kinsa, allowing the company to map global trends.
“We believe that the biggest problem in healthcare globally is the spread of infectious illness. The key to stopping the spread is better information on where and when it is starting,” states the company’s mission statement. “Our mission is to stop the spread of contagious illness through earlier detection and earlier response.”
Kinsa was founded in 2012 by Inder Singh, a former executive vice president of the Clinton Foundation's Clinton Health Access Initiative, a global non-profit organization fighting malaria and other diseases. Following clearance from the Food and Drug Administration, the company began manufacturing and distributing its thermometers in 2014, initially aiming to track the seasonal flu and other diseases that caused fevers.
The company was perfectly positioned to track the rise of fevers associated with COVID-19 when the pandemic broke out.