Home Pulse Oximetry for COVID-19 in Low-Resource Settings: Undervalued and Underutilized?

My first personal encounter with COVID-19 was with a 63-year-old friend residing in Kingston, the capital city of Jamaica. Her husband had recently died of complications of coronavirus infection, and the entire household was experiencing symptoms. I called to give my condolences and received a tearful account of the preceding week's events. Her husband had an unusual headache that had been attributed to stress and an ear infection. Within a week, he became dyspneic and was admitted to hospital. Two days after his admission for COVID-19, he died.

On my second call with her, she expressed concern about having an unrelenting fever (now day 8). She casually mentioned that she had purchased a pulse oximeter and some vitamins based on information about COVID-19 on the internet. Nonchalantly, she asked, "How do you interpret the readings? I assume that if it is over 90%, it is good. My readings are between 90% and 92%. I can take deep breaths in, and I have no problem breathing." I explained that an oxygen saturation below 94% requires an urgent care visit and that she may need medication, such as steroids and antibiotics. She refused admission despite her worsening dyspnea, and I advised her to contact her family doctor immediately. Her physician prescribed