The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to increase security measures in order to mitigate the contagion curve. Because a large part of the patients with the disease have fever -between 83% and 98% according to del Rio C et al. (2020) -, the control of body temperature can be a key measure to reduce the number of infections, with an effectiveness of up to 50% obtained during other pandemics (Mercer J, Ring EFJ., Thermology International, 2009). Infrared thermography becomes an effective tool with a proven efficacy for the detection of high temperatures following quality standards -such as the measurement of the maximum temperature of the inner canthus of the eye- (Pascoe D, et al. 2010). Its implementation together with automatic software for face detection and generation of alarms in real time is a key alternative for its proper use.

References

• del Rio C, Malani PN. COVID-19—New Insights on a Rapidly Changing Epidemic. JAMA. Published online February 28, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3072
• Mercer, J., & Ring, E. F. J. (2009). Fever screening and infrared thermal imaging: Concerns and guidelines. Thermology International, 19(3), 67-69.