Like previous Apple watches, the upcoming Apple Watch 6 should include a variety of life-saving health tracking features. But in a timely battle against COVID-19, a feature expected to be added to Apple's upcoming wearable could be a game-changing defense.

The pulse oximeter is designed to detect silent hypoxia, a life-threatening condition that has determined the fate of many of the 2 million coronavirus patients worldwide. In an op-ed for The New York Times, emergency physician Richard Leviathan stated that the widespread use of pulse oximeters "could provide an early warning system for the breathing problems associated with covid pneumonia."

Dr. Leviathan believes that recognizing asymptomatic hypoxia in its early stages can keep more patients off the ventilator. In fact, according to the physician, who traveled to New York to apply his 30 years of experience in emergency medicine, pulse oximetry has saved the lives of at least two emergency physicians who worked in coronavirus hot spots.

Pulse oximetry requires a special thermometer available commercially in pharmacies. Placed on the fingertip for a few seconds, the pulse oximeter can read oxygen saturation and pulse rate. According to Dr. Leviathan, pulse oximeters are "extremely reliable" in identifying warning signs of coronavirus, such as elevated heart rate and subtle oxygenation problems.

Such monitoring allows for earlier detection of Covid-19-associated pneumonia and asymptomatic hypoxia. This increases the likelihood that patients will not need to use a ventilator and allows health care providers to better plan treatment for sick patients.

As Phone Arena points out, Dr. Leviathan's findings mean that the Apple Watch 6 could become the ultimate consumer technology tool for early detection of coronavirus and other severe forms of pneumonia.

In late March, we saw a beta version of Watch OS 7, revealing that the upcoming Apple Watch will finally feature blood oxygen tracking this year.

Blood oxygen monitoring, also known as SPO2 monitoring, measures oxygen saturation in the blood. The pulse oximeter enables SPO2 monitoring on the Apple Watch 6 and notifies the user when blood oxygen falls below a certain level.

SPO2 monitoring has been confirmed in Watch OS 7, but it is unclear if the pulse oximetry hardware required for the older Apple Watch series is already included, or if it will be an Apple Watch 6-only feature.

Either way, it will not be the first wearable with SPO2. Garmin has added a blood oxygenation sensor to its Vivosmart lineup. However, as noted in our review of the Garmin Vivosmart 4, the SPO2 monitor is designed to recognize breathing difficulties during sleep, which may be a symptom of sleep apnea.

In other words, the Apple Watch 6's inclusion of an SPO2 monitor does not mean that coronavirus deaths can be expected to be eliminated. However, it could be a useful tool if it appears in a new watch in the fall.