Covid-19 Wrap-up: 8 deaths due to oxygen shortage reported in AP, 4 deaths in Karnataka

Dr Murtuza Ghiya gets a call from the hospital after work hours. He has a tough decision to make: Two dying patients and just one ventilator.

The stories we hear every day about the oxygen crisis are as frightening as ever. Eight Covid-19 patients died at Hindupur government hospital in Andhra Pradesh allegedly due to an interruption in their oxygen supply. And four Covid-19 patients died due to the same reason at the Afzalpur taluk hospital in Karnataka's Kalaburagi district.

There's a twist in the case of one of the two Bengaluru hospitals that sent out distress calls about a shortage of oxygen. MP D K Suresh of Bangalore Rural district had put out an SOS video asking for oxygen for Rajarajeshwari Medical College in Kengeri Satellite Town. The institute, however, disputed the claim that there was a shortage.

Meanwhile, the AAP government informed the Delhi High Court that an expert committee had probed the cause of death of 21 Covid-19 patients at Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital and oxygen shortage could not be ascertained as the reason. The same court today directed the Centre to show cause as to why contempt not be initiated against it for failing to comply with an order on supply of oxygen to Delhi for treating Covid-19 patients.

The country's total tally of Covid-19 cases crossed the 2-crore mark with over 3.5 lakh infections reported in a day. The overall deaths crossed 2.2 lakh with 3,449 in 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry data.

With over 4,000 fresh Covid-19 cases reported daily since May 1, the Assam Government said the state could face a shortage of hospital beds and ICU facilities if the trend continued for a week.

A garbage vehicle was used to transport a Covid-19 patient's body to a crematorium after ambulances were unavailable and private vehicles refused to help despite offers of extra money in Maharashtra's Osmanabad district.

In response to the alarming rise in Covid- 19 cases in Karnataka, the Indian Air Force announced that it would establish a 100-bed Covid-19 care treatment facility at its Air Force Station in Bengaluru.

The production of Remdesivir has gone up nearly three times to 1.05 crore vials per month as the government works hard to enhance the availability of the antiviral drug in the country, according to Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya.

Making national headlines is the green light given to build brand new residential quarters for the prime minister in the middle of a raging pandemic. It has triggered a political row, with the Congress questioning the priorities of the Narendra Modi government.

The Indian Premier League was suspended indefinitely today after multiple Covid-19 cases were reported in its bio-bubble, ending a month-long relatively smooth run for cricket's most glamorous and cash-rich event in the middle of the raging pandemic.

India's upcoming away fixtures of the FIH Hockey Pro League against Spain and Germany this month have been postponed due to the international travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country, according to the International Hockey Federation.