CHENNAI: The city corporation has now equipped door-to-door survey staff with 1000 pulse oximeters to monitor oxygen levels of city residents.
“There are cases where patients may be asymptomatic but have dangerously low oxygen levels (hypoxia). To detect this, we have asked our survey staff to use pulse oximeters,” said a senior Corporation official.
“In some cases, they may gasp for air but in others there may not be any gasping, so it’s important to catch it early,” the official added.
With digital pulse oximeters costing Rs 1500 and upwards, several residents may not be able to access them, although the state government has recommended their use as part of ‘Corona home monitoring kits.’
Corporation officials believe this will also ensure that city residents take the door-to-door survey seriously.
“If you just go and ask them questions, some might get irritated although it’s for their own benefit that the survey is done every day. But when the staff go armed with pulse oximeters and infrared thermometers, residents will more willingly participate in the survey,” the official said.
Apart from the pulse oximeters, the city corporation has deployed 10,000 infrared thermometers to check the temperature of residents. The city corporation plans to increase the number of instruments in use shortly.
The city corporation has also planned to assign around 4000 volunteers to take care of the needs of those who tested positive and ensure that they stay indoors, if under home isolation.
Each volunteer will be assigned cases and will create a WhatsApp group with the patients or their immediate family, so that in case of any need, the patients may post in the group.
“After 14 days, the patients will be automatically removed from the groups,” said a Corporation official.