Are COVID-19 patients that are suffering from hypoxia more at risk and do they require specific treatment?
Yes. Around 80% of people with COVID-19 will have only mild disease. Once we see a drop in the oxygen level, that puts them at a higher risk of developing complications. These are the individuals who will be put on supplemental oxygen and they are the ones most likely to be hospitalized and monitored.
Depending on clinical trials, some medications may be started at that point in time. The biggest support that we can give, however, is to identify hypoxia and start treating it with supplemental oxygen and monitoring these patients much more closely than we would the others who have mild disease and no hypoxia.
As soon as the saturation does drop, other organs of the body are put at risk, such as the heart, the kidneys, the brain, and the liver. We need to prevent other organ damage, which happens if support is not given and the low oxygen level is not corrected.