What is a normal body temperature?

Not everyone has the same body temperature. A German doctor in the 19th century set the standard at 98.6 F, but recent studies say the baseline for most people is closer to 98.2 F.  Temperature can vary by as much as a degree person to person and fluctuate during a woman’s monthly cycle. 

For a typical adult, body temperature can be anywhere from 97 F to 99 F. Babies and children have a little higher range: 97.9 F to 100.4 F. Your temperature doesn’t stay the same all day, and it will vary throughout your lifetime. Some things that cause your temperature to fluctuate throughout the day include:

• How active you are
• What time of day it is
• Your age
• Your sex
• What you’ve eaten or had to drink
• If you menstruate, where you are in your cycle 

Your temperature reading changes based on where on your body you measure it. Underarm readings can be a degree lower than an oral reading. Rectal temperatures usually are up to a degree higher than oral readings

How high is too high when it comes to your temperature? Anything above 100.4 F is considered a fever. You may feel terrible, but on the whole, a fever isn’t bad for you. It’s a sign your body is doing what is fighting off germs. 

However, it’s important to call your doctor if your temperature is 103 F or higher or if you’ve had a fever for more than 3 days. For children, fevers are a bit more complicated. Call your pediatrician if your child is:

• Under 3 months and has a rectal temperatures of 100.4 F or higher
• Between 3 months and 3 years and has a rectal temperature over 102 F
• Older than 3 years and has an oral temperatures above 103 F
• Between 3 and 6 months and -- along with a fever -- is fussier or more uncomfortable than usual, or doesn’t seem alert
• Sick enough for you to be concerned, regardless of what the thermometer says

Can thermal cameras detect coronavirus?

The PowerBx TEMP Thermal Reader only measures temperature. A high temperature or fever is just one common symptom of the COVID-19. Other symptoms include nausea, headaches, fatigue, and loss of taste or smell. 

However, not everyone with the virus will have a high temperature and not everyone with a high temperature has contracted COVID-19. So, thermal cameras alone will miss infected people with other symptoms or no symptoms at all - known as false negatives. They will also identify people unwell with a fever for another reason - known as false positives.

What if I'm wearing a mask or face covering?

PowerBx’s TEMP Thermal Reader is able to detect whether an individual is wearing a mask or not through facial recognition. Using Binocular live detection technology TEMP Thermal reader can ‘see’ through haze/mist (if installed outdoors) and uses 3D noise reduction, strong light suppression, and electronic image stabilization. Facial recognition takes place in less than 1 second after scan. 

Users can toggle on or off whether masks are required. When turned on, an alarm will sound and entry will be denied for those not wearing a mask. 

Will my temperature be higher after exercising?

Not necessarily. Skin temperature actually goes down during exercise as sweat appears on the surface of the skin. The body is good at regulating its temperature even after exercise. So, it is unlikely exercising will affect your temperature reading.

How else can my temperature be measured?

Another option is a portable thermometer pointed at the forehead. These handheld thermometers don't need to touch the skin, but do need to be within a few centimeters of it.

While accurate to a fraction of a degree on skin temperature, handheld thermometers correctly detect fever about 90% of the time when compared with a rectal thermometer, according to Prof Derek Hill, professor of medical imaging science from University College London. Additionally, these alternatives provide no digital record of those scanned, unlike the TEMP Thermal Reader. TEMP has a database that can hold up to 200,000 scans. Scans can be uploaded to a personal computer or local server.