Fever pitch demand for Covid-19-related items

High demand: The sale of Covid-19 self-test kits and oximeters has increased tremendously with the spike in daily cases. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

ITEMS related to monitoring Covid-19 symptoms at home are seeing huge spikes in demand at pharmacies nationwide.

More Malaysians are buying oximeters, Covid-19 home self-test kits, thermometers and even Vitamin C supplements, as new cases hover in five figures every day.

Pulse oximeters – devices used to measure a person’s blood oxygen levels – are flying off store shelves, with sales more than doubling recently.

“The surge in demand is easily more than 100% due to increased awareness and promotions,” Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) president Amrahi Buang tells Sunday Star.

The demand has escalated over the past two months (July and August), based on feedback from MPS members nationwide.

“The current demand for Covid-19 self-test kits, thermometers and oximeters are increasing tremendously since the spike in daily cases.

“People are realising the importance of monitoring their temperature and oxygen levels at home.

“Lately, some pharmacies have been unable to meet the demand for test kits and oximeters,” Amrahi reveals.

It doesn’t help that some videos that have gone viral online have aggravated the situation, causing people to stock up unnecessarily.

The purchase of thermometers, however, has slowed down compared with last year when the pandemic just started, he says.

Malaysians seeking to buy pulse oximeters for Covid-19 home healthcare measures should only get those certified by the Medical Device Authority (MDA).

It was reported that the Health Ministry had noted cases of “Happy Hypoxia”, whereby patients would have low levels of oxygen as shown on the monitor but do not experience breathing difficulties.

Among the symptoms of the condition or when oxygen levels were less than 91% were breathing difficulties, headaches, dizziness, skin turning bluish, and cold palms.

A normal reading is between 95% and 100%, with anything below that considered low.

Warning the public against fake oximeters, Amrahi says it does not help that oximeters certified by the MDA are usually more expensive.

“Such products with MDA registration are considered out of range for those in the low to middle income group to buy.

“As such, they may resort to buying uncertified products sold online or through social media. The same is true for Covid-19 self-test kits,” he says.

The MPS has experienced an incident where two batches of oximeters were returned as the devices were not certified by the MDA.

Amrahi urges those who buy more than what’s needed to stop such panic buying as it may deprive those who really need the gadgets.

He says there should also be no issue for those who have smart watches or fitness bands with blood oxygen monitors to measure their levels with those instead of buying oximeters.

“With the increasing demand for self-test kits, the government needs to approve more brands to meet market demand.

“However, there are also increasing fake items sold online. Thus, we as pharmacists need to educate the public regarding the importance of buying genuine products to ensure the accuracy of results,” he says.

Educating the public on how to use the self-test kits is also important, as pharmacists have encountered cases of invalid results due to user errors.

Amrahi advises everyone not to buy more than what’s needed, as panic buying may deprive those who really need it.

“Customers are also buying more paracetamol and antihistamines to treat Covid-19 symptoms such as fever and cough,” Amrahi says.

Many have also enquired about ivermectin, a medicine which is not officially used to treat Covid-19.

“Cough and sore throat medicines are also popular among Covid-19 patients who are under home quarantine,” he adds.

With the high number of cases daily, the MPS believes it is advisable for each household to have a thermometer, oximeter, paracetamol and some self-test kits in the event they are exposed to the coronavirus.

“Each pharmacy should also prepare at least one oxygen concentrator for rent or for emergency use,” Amrahi says.

He also urges pharmacists to educate the public about health prevention measures such as wearing double masks and using good quality hand sanitisers.

‘Oximeters are optional’

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Prof Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud says there is no harm buying oximeters but it is merely an option.

“Oximeters are not yet a necessity unless one intends to do home isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.

“The oximeter must conform to certain standards, and one must be careful in interpreting the readings.

“Not everyone is conversant with the use of oximeters and how to interpret the readings together with the other signs and symptoms of hypoxia,” he says.

He adds that there are standards for pulse oximeters that need to be adhered to, such as ISO standards.

“There are also limitations to the accuracy of home pulse oximeter use so they need to be read carefully,” he says.

Dr Awang Bulgiba believes self-test kits are possibly required more than oximeters.

Dr Awang says Covid -19 self-test kits are possibly more important to have than oximeters.

“Approved self-test kits can be bought from registered pharmacies and can be helpful if one needs to self-quarantine.

“As for oxygen tanks, they are not necessary for home use,” he says, outlining three reasons for this:

Firstly, if a Covid-19 patient requires oxygen, then he or she is already in Category 4 (those who are symptomatic, have pneumonia and need oxygen assistance).

“Such a person should be in hospital for treatment and monitoring.

“Category 4 patients also require a lot of other investigations like X-rays, even MRIs, CT scans or an ultrasound, a whole host of blood tests, and other possible therapies.

“A Category 4 patient may progress to organ failure too or require ventilation and will definitely require monitoring by trained medical staff,” Dr Awang Bulgiba explains.

Secondly, oxygen tanks need to be replenished when they are empty and that either requires appropriate equipment at home or someone needs to get replacement tanks.

“Thirdly, there is the question of safety as oxygen is flammable and oxygen tanks require proper handling,” he says.

Concurring on the choice to buy oximeters, Universiti Putra Malaysia medical epidemiologist Dr Malina Osman says it would be good to have one at home but they are not a must-have.

“Similar to other devices that monitor body temperature, blood pressure or blood sugar, an oximeter can be useful to check blood oxygen levels.

“But I do not consider it compulsory to have unless it is for those who are at higher risk of getting infected. Similarly, with oxygen tanks, they are not a necessity either,” she says.