COVID-19 patients in racial and ethnic minority groups were delayed in receiving therapies because of an inaccurate reading of oxygen saturation levels, according to a new study.
The study, published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that “overestimation of arterial oxygen saturation levels by pulse oximetry” in COVID-19 patients from racial and ethnic minority groups contributed to “unrecognized or delayed recognition of eligibility to receive COVID-19 therapies.”