Dr. Connolly: If a person has a mild case of COVID-19 and is self-treating at home, an oximeter can be a helpful tool for checking oxygen levels so that low oxygen levels can be caught early.

How can I measure the oxygen level of my blood during the COVID-19 pandemic?

You can measure your blood oxygen level with a pulse oximeter. That’s a small device that clips onto your fingertip. It shines a light into the tiny blood vessels in your finger and measures the oxygen from the light that’s reflected back.

What is the recovery time for patients with severe COVID-19 that require oxygen?

For the 15% of infected individuals who develop moderate to severe COVID-19 and are admitted to the hospital for a few days and require oxygen, the average recovery time ranges between three to six weeks.