CHENNAI: The city corporation has equipped its door-to-door staff with 1,000 pulse oximetres to monitor the oxygen levels of city residents. “There are cases where patients may be asymptomatic but have dangerously low oxygen levels (hypoxia),” said a senior Corporation official. “While in some cases they may gasp for air but in others there may not even be gasping so it’s important to catch it early,” the official added.
With oximeters costing Rs 1,500 and upwards, several residents may not be able to access it, although it is recommended by the government as part of ‘Corona home monitoring kits.’
Corporation officials believe this will also help in city residents taking the door-to-door survey staff seriously. “If you just go and ask them questions, some might get irritated although it’s for their own benefit. But when the staff go armed with pulse oximeters and infrared thermometers, residents will more willingly participate,” the official said.
Volunteers working for Corporation will be assigned cases and will create a WhatsApp group with the patients or their immediate family, so that in case of any needs, the patients may post in the group.
10K IR thermometers
The corporation has deployed 10,000 infrared thermometers to check for temperature among residents. It has also planned to assign around 4,000 volunteers to take care of the needs of those tested positive and to ensure that they stay inside their homes, if under home isolation