India Post News Service
“An over-the-counter oximeter device was my saving grace as I fought the coronavirus. It can flag dangerous downturns.” – Anonymous Covid patient
“I wish everyone had one of these so they could monitor themselves,” the doctor said. “Then maybe we’d have fewer people come in.”
One of the mysteries of COVID-19 is that oxygen levels in the blood can drop dangerously low without the patient noticing or without any associated breathlessness. Many who die have a sudden drop in their blood oxygen levels a day or two before their lungs fail. A pulse oximeter can act as a potentially life-saving solution, allowing those suffering from COVID-19 to monitor their oxygen levels whilst at home or making decisions when to get medical help. A lot of fatalities can be prevented if patients can monitor their oxygen levels.
However, the shortage of medical oxygen and reports of sudden fall in oxygen levels in COVID-19 patients has caused a demand peak for pulse oximeters. Only the lucky ones are able to afford to buy an Oximeter from black market.
Arhan Rout, a Junior from Saint Francis High School, California wanted to help and save lives of high-risk Covid patients who did not have access to an Oximeter or could not afford to buy one from the black market. He started a fundraiser “Help India: Arhan’s Oximeter Drive ” through which he raised $3200 and was able to send 150 Oximeters to Covid hotspots in India.
Arhan says, “When I learnt India crossed more than 300,000 people lost to the coronavirus, a devastating surge of infections was swamping the poorer countryside, I wanted to know what is that one thing I can do to prevent so many deaths. One simple answer that came to my mind is Oximeter, if Covid patients can measure their O2 level through a simple Oximeter at home many fatalities can be avoided. The normal oxygen level in the blood is between 95% and 100% and with Covid, the oxygen levels drops to 70s or low-or-middle 80s, but many don’t know when to go to hospital or how to measure their O2 level.” These Oximeters were distributed to Covid positive patients in low-income areas where they did not have a way to determine when to get medical help.
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