New Taipei City on Friday launched a trial program to monitor and care for people at risk of unknowingly developing abnormally low blood oxygen levels, amid reports of people with COVID-19 dying from the condition.
The program, implemented at the direction of New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), has selected 60 people for a trial, during which participants provided with thermometers and oximeters would upload data on their condition to a platform for monitoring, the city government said.
Should the program prove successful, it would be expanded to include city residents confirmed to have COVID-19, it said.
The platform monitors participants’ temperatures and blood oxygen concentration, and contacts them twice a day to ensure they are hospitalized quickly if they should need it, Hou said.
New Taipei City Department of Health Director Chen Jun-chiu (陳潤秋) said that 11.8 percent of recorded COVID-19 deaths have been linked to silent hypoxemia.
Normal blood oxygen concentration should be at least 95 percent, she said, adding that the mortality rate for people with blood oxygen concentration of 93 to 94 percent within five days is 2.24 percent.
The mortality rate for people with blood oxygen concentration of 92 percent or less within five days is 14.33 percent, she added.
People should seek medical attention immediately after being diagnosed with lower than normal blood oxygen concentration levels, Chen said.
The department has only received 4,200 of 15,000 oximeters that the central government has committed to provide to the program, it said, adding that it is looking to purchase more oximeters.
Chung Shan Medical University Hospital doctor of general medicine Chen Hsin-mei (陳欣湄) said on Facebook on Tuesday that people who have difficulty breathing or who have a blood oxygen level of 94 percent or less after contracting COVID-19 might be able to relieve their symptoms by lying face down, but should prepare to call for medical assistance if their symptoms persist, as large group studies of the technique have focused on its use in hospitals.
Doctors know that patients on breathing machines tend to have improved chances of survival if they rest in a prone position, she said, adding that the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommends the method for people suffering from COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress.
The recommendation does not include people who are pregnant, have recently experienced deep vein thrombosis, have significant heart problems, or a fractured spine or pelvis, she said.
In related news, Taiwan National University Hospital urologist Ku Fang-yu (顧芳瑜) said that cellphone apps do not accurately measure blood oxygen levels.
Ku was responding on Facebook on Wednesday to posts recommending the use of mobile phone apps that claim to monitor blood oxygen levels.
Blood oxygen monitors work by shining a visible red beam and a far-infrared beam through the finger, and then measure light absorption rates to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood, he said.
Although commercially available cameras have built-in red light filters to enhance photography, they prevent infrared light from reaching the camera, he said.
Additional reporting by Chou Hsiang-yun
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS