Fitbit is introducing a designated COVID-19 tab in its app to make it easy for South African users to access information, support and resources in one place.

This new tab, which requires a Fitbit app (available on Google Play and the App Store) and account, allows users to:

  • Access the most relevant tools and content to help them stay healthy, safe, and happy at home like new clock faces with reminders to wash your hands, reminders to move, and at-home workouts and mindfulness breaks via the Fitbit Premium 90-day free trial offer and Fitbit Coach 90-day free trial offer, among other features.
  • Stay up to date on the latest information with easy access to real-time updates from the World Health Organization to stay safe, informed and healthy.

DID YOU KNOW? A wide range of Fitbit devices and activity trackers is available at select Dis-Chem stores nationwide and online.

Your virtual guide to better health

The COVID-19 tab rolls out from the week of 20 April, with access provided via a new tab on the bottom right on the Fitbit app.

The new tool will help users to stay mentally and physically healthy amid the outbreak. The Fitbit app aims to help you sleep better, eat well, move more, and manage stress with a range of tools we’ve made readily available for you at this time, including:

  • A 90-day free trial of Premium for those who have not tried Premium yet, plus, we’ve made 40+ Premium at-home workouts, meditations, sleep tracks, and more available for everyone to use, free of charge. Unlock it all in the Fitbit app
  • New clock faces, like the Clean Cues clock face, for Fitbit smartwatches that offer a friendly reminder and timer for washing your hands
  • Motivational reminders to take breaths, stretch, and move, with Reminders to Move
  • Advanced sleep tools and guided programs
  • Mindfulness content, through our Relax guided breathing exercises or sessions via Premium
  • Nutrition tips and healthy habits
  • Ways to connect with others to stay motivated as a part of our global Fitbit community.

READ MORE: The new Fitbit Charge 4 is available at Dis-Chem stores.

Support COVID-19-related health research to help stop the spread

Fitbit will continue to bring users relevant and useful insights through its research of aggregated, anonymized Fitbit data to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on its community, just like it did with global activity levels and sleep patterns.

Early detection is critical to stop the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, and early evidence has emerged that wearables, like Fitbit devices, can help predict the onset of infectious diseases, like the flu and COVID-19.

That’s why Fitbit is collaborating with institutions like The Scripps Research Institute and Stanford Medicine on important research to see if wearable data can help detect, track, and contain COVID-19.

READ MORE: Fitbit releases Versa 2 – get yours at Dis-Chem.

These studies use data from wearables to determine if tracking changes in heart rate, activity, and sleep can provide an early indication of viral illnesses, like COVID-19, before actual symptoms start.

Users can easily support COVID-19 related health research by wearing your Fitbit device with heart rate tracking and choosing to share your data in an anonymized manner. You can learn more about The Scripps DETECT study and The Stanford Healthcare Innovation Lab COVID-19 PROTECT wearables study in the COVID-19 tab in the Fitbit app.

READ MORE: Fitbit enhances the smartwatch experience.Â