Google searches for gastrointestinal problems can help identify coronavirus outbreaks, study finds

Google search engine. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found Google searches for gastrointestinal problems could be a potential warning system for the location of coronavirus outbreaks, Bloomberg reports.

Using the Google Trends tool, the researchers determined that the volume of searches for those symptoms between Jan. 20 and April 20 correlated strongly with coronavirus cases in then-hot spots like New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois, three to four weeks later.

COVID-19 patients often report gastrointestinal issues, like abdominal pain and diarrhea, and going forward, health officials could monitor those searches to try to pin down upcoming hot spots. "Our data underscore the importance of GI symptoms as a potential harbinger of COVID-19 infection and suggests Google Trends may be a valuable tool for predictions of pandemics with GI manifestations," the study says.

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The results of the research suggest Google searches could operate in a similar, though probably less specific, fashion to wastewater, which is already being used as a predictive method for coronavirus infections in several cities across the world and even on college campuses. Read more at Bloomberg.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.