Question

Should you be checking your own oxygen levels if you have coronavirus symptoms? Explain.

Give further details about this timely issue. Expound your answer.

Answer 1

It is necessary to check the oxygen level for the corona virus symptoms ...oxygen impairment can occur at multiple stages of COVID-19, and not simply for critically ill patients placed on ventilators. In fact, there's a phenomenon we've observed clinically where a person with COVID-19 can have very low oxygen levels

Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing hospital treatment. About 20% of those who get COVID-19 become seriously ill and require oxygen, with 5% becoming critically ill and needing intensive care.

Complications leading to death may include respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis and septic shock, thromboembolism, and/or multiorgan failure, including injury of the heart, liver or kidneys.

In rare situations, children can develop a severe inflammatory syndrome a few weeks after infection.

Due to the asymptomatic nature of the majority of COVID-19 infections, a lot of coronavirus patients may suffer from abnormally low-levels of blood saturation without even realising it (dropping below 92 per cent). While usually, such low-levels of blood oxygen may lead to symptoms like breathlessness, coronavirus patients may get used to the gradual decrease of oxygen levels in the body. Some of the other symptoms a patient battling low-levels of oxygen concentration include bouts of confusion and even euphoria. This is where a pulse oximeter can be used as it helps in detecting low levels of oxygen saturation in an otherwise asymptomatic coronavirus patient.

A person’s oxygen saturation usually varies between 95 to 100 per cent (SpO2) as measured by pulse oximeter and needs immediate attention if it starts dropping below 92 (SpO2).