The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cautioned that pulse oximeters should not be used to diagnose COVID-19. The devices could give in accurate readings under some situations, stated the agency.

The World Health Organization had included the use of pulse oximeter to detect patients who may require hospitalization in its clinical advice for treating COVID-19 in the month of January. The FDA has stated that the devices cannot be used to diagnose or exclude COVID-19. The agency further recommended not to depend on them to evaluate health. The agency recommended that attention should be focused on other indicators of low oxygen, including blueness of the face or a rapid pulse… (Reuters, February 20, 2021)