'Make Pulse Oximeter compulsorily in housing complex societies'

With the Covid-19 cases inching towards the 10-lakh mark, the Microbiologists Society- India (MSI) has called for making Pulse Oximeter compulsory in housing society complexes and workplaces.

This could emerge as an answer to the re-imposition of lockdown measures, feels the MSI.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

According to Dr A M Deshmukh, President of MSI, this will aid in detection of Covid-19 cases. "We suggest that the use of Pulse Oximeters should be made mandatory for housing
Societies, offices and public places. Further, testing by Pulse Oximeters should be made accessible at every municipal ward and public health centre," Dr Deshmukh said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

According to MSI, the wide use of Pulse Oximeters will help in early detection of Covid-19 infection - before the virus damages vital body organs - and eventually, control the number of deaths due to the virus.

This is particularly important given that Covid-19 induced ‘Happy hypoxia’ is currently one of the major causes of the deaths, Dr Deshmukh added.

The MSI chief said the Covid-19 infections are spreading rapidly across India has led to an atmosphere of fear and panic among the people.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

"As a result, the people are putting pressure on government authorities for re-implementing the lockdown. They have a misconceived notion that further extending the lockdown can significantly stop the spread of the virus. Consequently, many states and districts across India are re-implementing lockdown/curfew," he said.

"However, as microbiologists, we believe that re-implementing the lockdown is not going to help us in tackling the current crisis. It may facilitate in bringing the number of cases down in a particular region for some time, but it is extremely difficult to keep it that way in the long run. In fact, India has entered the community transmission stage and thus the infection rate and numbers are going to increase exponentially from here. There is no fail-safe approach that can be employed to prevent this spread. Moreover, if we continue with the lockdown strategy, the Covid-19 crisis will likely linger on for a long time," added Dr Deshmukh.

He said frequent lockdowns could also severely affect the nation’s economy in the long run, and along with it, the future of the nation’s youth. Plasma Therapy is proving to be one of the most promising treatments for the disease, he said, adding that now India has a substantial number of recovered patients across India who could donate blood and contribute towards Plasma Therapy.

"Nevertheless, the treatment is still not being employed as extensively as desired at all levels. We request you to kindly look into this and encourage and facilitate the use of
Plasma Therapy for every critical patient," added Dr Deshmukh.