Residents start restocking home testing kits

Strap: Rising Covid cases trigger demand for oximeters, other medical devices

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Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 31

As Covid-19 cases are witnessing a steady rise in the district for the past one month, chemists reported a sharp increase in the demand for medical devices related to Covid such as pulse oximeters, thermometers and inhalers, among others. While the trend was witnessed earlier last year till September, during the peak of the first phase of the virus, the demand for such devices had gradually declined with the receding Covid cases.

Tanuj Gupta, owner Gupta Agencies (wholesale chemist and druggist) at Dilkhusha market said, the demand has raised to such an extent that apart from the chemists, even the kiryana (general) store dealers were selling the oximeters and thermometers. “The market has witnessed an increase in demand of home-testing kits since February. Besides, masks and sanitizers, oxygen monitoring devices and thermal scanners are back in demand. At present, the customer base has expanded from chemists to the local businessmen running shops in residential colonies. Over a thousand oximeters must be sold on a daily basis by the retailers. Sometimes, the stock gets finished even within a week,” added Gupta.

Morover, the pandemic has prompted a rapid increase in the use of at-home diagnostic devices as many of us fear going to diagnostic centres for medical tests, suggests health experts and chemists.

Blood pressure monitors, digital thermometre and glucometer are also being sought by the locals. An oximeter is available between Rs 150- Rs 4,000. However, people prefer to buy the devices which are durable and pocket friendly. Raj Kumar Verma, owner Rajeev Entreprises, who deals in surgical goods and medicines says, nearly 15-20 oximeters are being sold on a daily basis to the retail customers. Also, thermometers and other devices have also become common. He also believed that after a gap of four months, the need for oximeters has doubled for the past one month. Kulwinder Singh, a resident of Defence Colony, who had come to the medicine market for an oximeter said, “Even if we haven’t contracted the virus, this would help us check our oxygen level. As we know that the new stain attacks lungs, causing a dip in oxygen level, the device would help us monitor the same.

Prone to the risk of respiratory diseases, hypertension, CVD, diabetes, and other diseases that could affect oxygen levels, the devices are majorly in demand among the elderly.