EVANSTON, Ill. -- Scientists at Northwestern University have developed a wearable device that can spot coronavirus symptoms before the person does.

The wireless sensor monitors coughs, fever and respiratory activity. The hope is that the data can help physicians better understand and treat COVID-19.

It looks like a small band-aid, but researchers say the little silicone patch can detect COVID-19 symptoms and record data right to your smartphone or tablet.

“It's a fully wireless battery-operated device that can communicate with any standard Bluetooth-enabled consumer gadget,” said John Rogers, Bioengineering and Neurological Surgery Professor at Northwestern.

The wireless, rechargeable battery-operated device sits just below the suprasternal notch at the base of the throat. From that location, it monitors coughing intensity, respiratory sounds, heartrate and body temperature.

“It's really that subtle motion of the surface of the skin,” said Rogers. “It's almost like a stethoscope in the way you can think about it, but fully digital and wireless in its operation and continuous, in terms of data collection.”

It can be worn 24/7 and produce continuous streams of data using artificial intelligence. All of that data transmits wirelessly to a HIPPA-protected cloud.

“We can determine not only when a cough occurred but whether that cough is a dry cough or a wet cough or whether you're having coughing fits,” said Rogers.

Scientists say the real-time data streaming from patients can give insights into their health not currently being captured or analyzed by traditional monitoring systems.

Another important feature is decontamination.

“Because it's entirely enclosed without any switches or data ports or any kind of openings, it allows us to do very rigorous sterilization, so we immerse these devices in hot alcohol,” said Rogers.

One thing it cannot do is measure blood oxygenation levels – a potentially important early indicator of the disease. But they say the they plan to add that capability to the next round of devices.

The ultimate goal is to be able to catch COVID-19 symptoms early, better understand its onset and progression, and hopefully save lives.

“What we've been able to do is create very thin lightweight soft device platforms that allow mounting on this very sensitive region of the body in a way that sends essentially physically imperceptible,” said Rogers. “So, you put it on and you kind of forget that it's there”

The next step is to find manufacturing partners to scale up production of the device. Rogers says that depending on volume, it could cost less than $100 per device.

CHICAGO — Public health officials have been debating whether it may be more effective to get more people their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and delaying the second round of shots that are needed for the highest immunity.

Last month, social media was flooded with images of frontline health care workers proudly rolling up their sleeves to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

But a slow rollout, a surge in cases, and the emergence a of a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus have increased the urgency of the vaccination campaign.

“I think there is an urgency to getting people vaccinated in the best way possible quickly,” said Dr. Benjamin Singer, an assistant professor pulmonary and critical care at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine

In the UK, public health officials say prioritizing first doses will delay the interval of the second dose up to 12 weeks.

Pfizer, which is set to deliver 200 million doses of its vaccine to the U.S. by August of 2021, says it has tested their vaccine’s efficacy only when the two doses were administered 21 days apart. Moderna’s two-shot vaccine must be administered 28 days apart.

“Ninety, 95 percent efficacy, I mean, that's an amazing number, but the only way that we know with certainty to get to that level is with that two doses, three to four-week schedule,” said Singer.

Delays in administering the vaccine are already being reported across the U.S. There are now looming questions about what to do if a second dose has to be postponed.

“It could seem premature to begin discussing some of these contingency plans,” said Singer. “But I think it's an appropriate time to at least begin having the discussions.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Monday morning, of the 15.4 million doses distributed, only 4.6 million people got their first dose.

“Right now, our problem isn't so much having the right number of doses, it's getting those doses into the arms of people,” said Singer.

In recent days, some health experts have suggested delaying the second dose could actually be a strategy to inoculate more people. In a Washington Post op-ed this weekend, Drs. Robert Wachter and Ashish Jha write: “Giving 100 million people — particularly those at high risk — a single shot that is 80 to 90 percent effective will save far more lives than giving 50 million people two shots that are 95 percent effective.”

“There's also some discussion about whether you could stay on the two-shot schedule but give a half dose inject you know half the volume and achieve somewhat of a similar response.”

But late Monday, in a strongly-worded statement, the FDA dismissed the idea of altering dosages and the timeline saying, “…making such changes that are not supported by adequate scientific evidence may ultimately be counterproductive to public health.”

The first doses of the vaccines in the U.S. were administered in mid-December, which means many are due for their booster shot this week.

LOS ANGELES — When Nick Guthe shared his story nearly two months ago, he didn’t expect it would be heard around the world.

His wife, Heidi Ferrer, died by suicide after suffering more than a year from long-haul COVID-19 symptoms. A writer, Ferrer documented her journey online.

“The most haunting thing she said to me was, I feel like a robot that’s malfunctioning. It's like all my systems are malfunctioning," said Guthe.

Long-haulers experience new or lingering symptoms after recovering from the virus. Recent studies reveal anywhere from 10-30% of COVID-19 patients develop long-haul symptoms lasting for months, even if they had mild cases.

"She kept voluminous daily notes in her phone about her symptoms and her condition," said Guthe. "She almost, kind of, wrote us a road map for looking at somebody's life over a year with long-haul COVID.”

Among Ferrer's symptoms: nerve pain, digestive issues, diarrhea, joint pain, weakness, and exhaustion.

"Taking a few steps, her heart would go from 80 to 130 beats in about 20 seconds," said Guthe. “She was bedridden. She couldn't eat normal food that she enjoyed. She couldn't walk more than a few steps, she couldn't sleep, she couldn't read a book. What's left?”

Guthe says the medical community dismissed his wife's symptoms for months.

“She wasn’t depressed. She was brought to do this by being physically broken down, piece by piece, by long-haul COVID for over a year. She was in excruciating physical pain every day," said Guthe.

After sharing her obituary online, Ferrer's story went viral. Hundreds of people living with long-haul symptoms have since reached out to Guthe to share their stories.

"It mirrored what I’ve experienced and what countless other people have," said Richard, a long-haul sufferer. “I have been admitted to the hospital, different hospitals, a total of probably more than three months. I’ve been to the emergency room probably 40 times."

Richard, who didn't want to share his last name, says he contracted the virus in March 2020 while living in New York.

"A lot of the COVID-related sequelae that you read about, I've lived through that. The neurological stuff is no joke. I've had all of that, and I still have some of it. The digestive stuff, the food intolerance, is very, very difficult to deal with. Headaches, all of that stuff, is very real."

While equipped with a good team of doctors now, he still has few answers.

“One day, you might be OK, and then, you might be unable to get out of bed for the next three or four days," said Richard. “It’s absolutely debilitating.”

“There are a lot of people out there like her, who are literally disabled," said Guthe. "They cannot work, cannot function, cannot take care of themselves. And they’re desperate, desperate for help. And they feel like nobody is paying attention."

Retired Northwestern professor and psychologist Dr. Mark Reinecke is treating COVID long-haul patients.

Now that the country has made progress addressing the physical components of the disease, he says more emphasis is needed on the mental health consequences.

“We could see, for lack of a better term, we could see the storm clouds building, and we've known this from the very beginning," said Dr. Reinecke.

Dr. Reinecke points out there's a lot of research underway, but it's scattered. He proposed several solutions in a recent op-ed:

• Create a national COVID-19 response office to coordinate the development of evidence-based programs to address the social and emotional consequences of the pandemic
• Open community-based centers to treat chronic COVID conditions
• Train medical professionals in evidence-based care of psychological and social consequences of COVID-19
• Provide each patient with chronic COVID-19, PTSD or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children with a trained psychologist or mental health provider

He says now is the time to address the psychic pain COVID-19 is inflicting on millions of Americans.

"There is a path forward," said Dr. Reinecke. “One is the installation of hope, a sense of a positive future that is out there. The notion that it is, it may be different than the way your life has been in the past, but it can be positive."

"We don't leave people on the battlefield in this country, we don't leave our soldiers behind," said Guthe. "If this is a war on COVID, what are we doing for these people?”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help or is considering suicide, call the national suicide prevention hotline at 800-273-8255.

CINCINNATI — Peyton Ramsey is confident and grateful as the NFL Draft approaches April 29.

The 2016 Elder High School graduate isn't worried about mock drafts or speculation the next two weeks.

His resume speaks for itself with what he accomplished at Northwestern University and Indiana University.

"He's got that winning DNA, and there is some teams out there that are falling in love with him largely because of those intangibles, for sure," said Chris Martin, Ramsey's agent.

Ramsey, a former captain at IU and Northwestern, is focused on what he can control in order to try to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.

"You can read all the mock drafts you can read, all the articles - whatever you want to read - nobody truly knows anything," Ramey told WCPO Friday morning.

"You've got to sit back and try to relax the best that you can, which is a hard thing to do because you work so hard to get into this situation."

Ramsey said Friday morning he's had Zoom interviews with Minnesota, New Orleans, Arizona, Denver and Tampa Bay.

"It's been cool; it's been unique," Ramsey said.

"Drawing something on a whiteboard here at my house and then flashing it up to the screen, it's kind of a harder way to do things, I think. I know for a fact that these NFL coaches are not a fan of this process right now, but it's all part of it. It's a cool experience for them to try to learn as well, but also for me to try to articulate myself and prove that I can make things work even in a virtual setting."

Ramsey, the Citrus Bowl MVP this past January, discovered similar questions from NFL personnel throughout the handful of interviews.

Northwestern University Athletics

NFL teams had likely already researched Ramsey's film and character entering the virtual interviews. They wanted to know how he communicates and delve into his football IQ.

"When they're getting on an interview logging onto Zoom, it's not about what I did in the past," Ramsey said.

"It's about how in this moment I can articulate a certain play or how I can articulate a defense or a coverage so they just want to get to know me more, and I think that's kind of been the common theme - just drill me with questions and see how I can answer those."

Martin predicts four or five quarterbacks will be taken in the first round.

He said the general consensus is that Ramsey is in the top 10 or 11 quarterbacks of the draft and should be in the mid-to-late round conversation. There are seven rounds of the draft.

"I think the best thing for him is, he's your quintessential leader," Martin said. "When I talk to teams, I'm like, 'This is a guy that won at two places and that's been a captain with a 'C' on his chest at both.'"

Martin said Ramsey is seen as a low-rep quarterback, meaning he can step into a game right away if necessary with few reps in practice.

"He just really gets it," Martin said. "He has great command, great presence. You can tell he can step in and galvanize the huddle and get people ready to play. And I think that's why he was able to help Northwestern turn it around."

Ramsey was a graduate transfer this past season and helped to lead Northwestern to the Big Ten championship game in December 2020. The Wildcats went from a 3-9 season in 2019 to the Big Ten West title during a unique season through the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Winner, gritty, leader, great teammate," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said this past season.

"Unflappable, mature, experienced and just a joy to be around, just to name a few."

Northwestern University Athletics

Ramsey, who has nearly all of Elder's career passing records, excelled at the Northwestern pro day March 9 and completed all his pass attempts.

"I think the biggest box that he checked was how well he threw the ball at pro day," Martin said.

Martin said NFL personnel saw Ramsey throw with a lot more velocity than what they could've scouted on film.

"With this profession that I'm trying to get into I think that's all you can do is control the things that you can control, because there is so many things that are out of my reach," Ramsey said.

"I did everything that I could. I walked out of there as happy, as elated, as I possibly could be because I know I did everything."

Elder football coach Doug Ramsey, Peyton's father, said he's trying to stay patient as his son approaches draft weekend.

"It's hard because you know he's put so much time and effort into this to live out a dream," Doug Ramsey said.

"He's wanted to do this for forever and to see him have to wait this out and find out what's going to happen – you know as a parent it's a hard thing. And it's probably going to get even worse."

Peyton Ramsey just returned from Tampa and plans to conduct additional workouts locally in preparation for the draft. While in Florida, he had time to reflect on his football journey.

"To think about all the guys that I've met, guys that I've played against – it's really, really special," Ramsey said.

"And I don't take any of that for granted. Like you said, it's a business. I want to make it. I want to play football for a long, long time. But, I do think you do got to reflect and just be grateful for all the opportunities that you've had throughout the years."

You can watch the 2021 NFL Draft live on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. The first round starts Thursday, April 29, at 8 p.m. Tune in for the second and third rounds Friday, April 30, at 7 p.m. The draft concludes with rounds four-seven on Saturday, May 1, at noon.