MANILA - What are the essential medical equipment for home care in the time of COVID-19?

According to Philippine General Hospital spokesperson Jonas del Rosario, the essential medical equipment for monitoring COVID-19 at home are a thermometer, blood pressure monitor or gauge, and pulse oximeter, which measures a person's oxygen level.

"Ang normal [oxygen level] po kasi ay 95 percent and above. Sa amin pong algorithm, 'pag ang oxygen niyo ay less than 92 percent kailangan niyo na pong pumuntang emergency room o magpaadmit na po," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(The normal oxygen level is 95 percent and above. In our algorithm, if your oxygen is less than 92 percent, you need to go to the emergency room or be admitted in a hospital.)

On the other hand, he said an oxygen tank is optional for COVID-19 home care since these are expensive. He said he has received reports that some villages have standby oxygen tanks just in case residents need it.

"Kung kaya mo bumili, opo (If you can afford it, yes)," he said.

Sales of oxygen tanks have increased as Filipinos said they fear not getting admitted into hospitals if they contract coronavirus. The Department of Health urged the public to use the device with medical supervision and warned that hospitals' supply may be depleted.

• Oxygen tanks pinapakyaw sa mga tindahan ng medical supply

The country's largest COVID-19 referral hospital will launch its own teleconsultation COVID Gabay Program to help COVID-19 patients in home care, del Rosario added.

"Hopefully mabawasan din 'yung kanilang tsansa makapaghawa o madagdagan ang transmission natin," he said.

(Hopefully we will also lessen their chance to infect others or increase virus transmission.)

The public must be informed and must trust their doctors to follow the appropriate care they need, said Aileen Espina of the Health Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC).

"Hindi natin mapipigilan ang mga tao na tumakbo sa ospital...
it’s not really yung sintomas na nararamdaman natin but rather yung takot na baka ano mangyari sakin pag nasa bahay lang," she said.

(We can't stop people from going to the hospital...it's not really because of the symptoms they feel but the fear of what might happen if they're at home.)

"Ang gagawin talaga natin is mapaintindi sa ating mga kababayan saan sila pwede maka-access ng serbisyong kalusugan na appropriate sa kanilang karamdaman...this kind of care need not be in a hospital setting, it can be accessed sa telepono, through the internet."

(We need to make them understand where they can access health care appropriate to their needs...this kind of need not be in a hospital setting, it can be accessed through the phone, through the internet.)

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