A strange phenomenon dubbed “happy hypoxia” has baffled doctors treating coronavirus patients who describe themselves as comfortable despite dangerously low oxygen levels that would typically leave them unconscious, or even dead, according to reports.
The mysterious condition that appears to defy basic biology is raising questions about how COVID-19 attacks the lungs, The Guardian reported.
While a healthy person’s blood-oxygen saturation is at least 95 percent, doctors have reported some coronavirus-stricken patients with levels in the 80s or 70s — with some extreme cases below 50 percent, according to the outlet.
And yet, these so-called “happy hypoxics” have been observed to be scrolling on their phones, chatting with their health-care providers and describing themselves as generally comfortable, Science Magazine reported.