The number of deaths in COVID-19 in Malaysia is increasing day by day, and one-fifth of them died before being sent to hospital (BID).
The reason for the high death rate of BID in COVID-19 in Malaysia is that many patients are not aware of health and do not supervise their blood oxygen level. Many people with COVID-19’s disease may have no symptoms. Although the oxygen content in the body is low, the patient has not felt anything yet.
The Ministry of Health suggests that we can regularly check the oxygen content in our blood in order to know our own health. A pulse oximeter can make people measure heart rate and blood oxygen content at home.
Methods of using oximeter correctly:
- Maintain at heart level.
When using the oximeter, do not put your fingers too high or too low. It is best to put your hands at the same height as the heart, so as to avoid the imbalance of blood flow affecting the measurements.
- Don’t apply nail polish.
Nail polish can cause the infrared ray of an oximeter to be unable to penetrate the blood vessels under the skin, thus affecting the accuracy of the measurement. Testers should avoid using nail polish-coated fingers for measurements.
- Testing at room temperature.
In an excessively cold environment, blood vessels may contract and blood circulation is not smooth, which may result in low measurement results. The doctor suggested that the most accurate measurement should be made at room temperature.
- Don’t move your fingers.
Finger shaking may affect the accuracy of the measurement. The finger should remain stationary.
- Finger position.
When taking measurements, the fingers should be placed in the innermost position. If the oximeter only measures a part of the finger, this may also affect accuracy.
- If the finger is too thin or too small can use in children’s oximeter.
If your fingers are too thin or too small, you should use a child oximeter. Children using adult oximeters may lead to inaccurate measurements.
- Skin cream with a cocoon on finger.
Rough workers may have thick cocoons on their fingers, which may affect the penetration of infrared light. These people can use a moisturizer to enhance the penetration of light before measuring.
Lazada sells a variety of fingertip oximeters, which can be purchased here at prices of 10 to 80 ringgit~
