A health worker checks the oxygen saturation level of a woman using a pulse oximeter at a COVID-19 testing camp in a residential area, in Chennai, India, Aug 30, 2020. NEW DELHI: Twice a day, New Delhi health worker Kamal Kumari receives a flurry of WhatsApp messages from coronavirus patients, containing either a two-digit reading from a tiny medical device or a photo of its glowing display.
The program was devised in May, when coronavirus cases started surging in the densely populated city of 20 million, sending panicked residents rushing to hospitals. For regular monitoring, doctors told Jain that patients would either have to visit hospitals or use the inexpensive oxygen monitors, many of which are made in China.
In India, too, other places have picked up on Delhi's model. Since late July, the northeastern state of Assam has provided nearly 4,000 oximeters to patients in home isolation."It's very important to train patients properly on how to use pulse oximeters," said Dr Hemant Kalra, a pulmonologist in New Delhi, adding that cheap, sub-standard oximeters flooding the market were also a problem.
Oximeters have also helped cut down on expensive hospitalisation for mild cases, Jain said, saving more than 10 times the device's price for each day in hospital.
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