A COVID-19 Symptoms Alert Machine (CSAM) scanner, or apparatus, is described herein. This apparatus employs Artificial Intelligent (AI) technology in combination with the latest mobile device technology (viz. smart phone/smart watch) to quickly help track down people who have COVID-19 symptoms anywhere and anytime, isolate them, and professionally handle them, not allowing SARS-CoV-2 virus to spread. CSAM automatically measures body temperature and assesses lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis and B-lines (for asymptomatic people), and other current health vital information (CHVI), furnished by the participant, such as fever, sore throat, headache, and body ache to generate an alert signal when COVID-19 symptoms are found significant and to send it out to a COVID-19 control center. The alerted participant is then immediately required to go to the COVID-19 control center or be picked up by a special COVID-19 emergency vehicle for isolation and further evaluation and testing. If the testing turns out to be COVID-19 positive, the participant will be quarantined and treated appropriately according to COVID-19 protocol until he/she is tested COVID-19 negative. In the meantime, people who have been in close physical contact with this participant will be alerted and requested to be immediately checked for COVID-19 symptoms. If anyone is found to have COVID-19 symptoms, then he/she must go through the same protocol. The process is repeated until all people in the cluster are tested COVID-19 negative. This will ensure that SARS-CoV-2 virus for this cluster has been completely eliminated. A rapid deployment of this type of apparatus throughout communities where people tend to congregate such as superstores, supermarkets, and any other establishments, small or large, can help to contain the rapid spread of the disease, as well as to give more confidence to the general public. People, who pass through this apparatus without an alert signal, should feel more confident in carrying out their activities, though social distancing and other COVID-19 precautionary requirements should still be maintained. The concept can be further expanded to cover shopping malls, concert halls, sports arenas, and any other large events including highways and freeways with the help of mobile phone technologies, transponders, and other mobile devices. By working on the 0.6% (around 2 million infected people in the US as of June 2020) quickly and effectively, instead of on the 99.4% (330 million, the remaining population) by locking people at home and closing down all businesses and activities; we can save a significant amount of money and hassles. (A long lockdown can also lead to a collapse of our economy and can consequently lead to a worldwide calamity.) In this way the 99.4% will not be burdened with the virus problem and can live normally without having to take any test. It is probably the only effective approach in solving the COVID-19 problem at the moment because vaccines and known COVID-19 cures are not yet available. Even if SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are available presently, they may not be practical to implement economically and operationally in time to contain the virus worldwide due to the massive amount of people (viz. over 7 billion).

An approach to noninvasively, remotely and accurately detect core body temperature in a warm-blooded subject, human or animal, via thermal imaging. Preferred features such as the use of in-frame temperature references, specific anatomical target regions and a physiological heat transfer model help the present invention to overcome pitfalls inherent with existing thermal imaging techniques applied to physiological screening applications. This invention provides the ability to noninvasively, remotely and rapidly screen for diseases or conditions that are characterized by changes in core body temperature. One human application of this invention is the remote screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), since fever is a common, early symptom. Other diseases and conditions that affect the core body temperature of humans or animals may also be noninvasively and remotely detected with this invention.