As Covid-19 cases mount, Assam fears shortage in oxygen

The Covid-19 positive cases in Assam crossed 1.09 lakh on Monday and more than 2,000 cases are being reported almost every day.

The rate of positive cases too increased to 7.26%.

This has raised the fear of shortage in supply of medical oxygen, which is a must for Covid-19 positive persons admitted in the state's hospitals.

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said companies in the state produced around 37.86 metric tonnes against the current requirement of 25 Metric tonnes. "We still has a buffer of about 12 metric tonnes but the demand-supply gap is fast narrowing. This is a concern for the health department as oxygen level of Covid-19 positive persons suddenly drops," Sarma said recently.

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The minister said the demand for oxygen for only Covid patients increased from about 5 metric tonnes in July to 8.25 metric tonnes in August. This is only for the Covid patients and the total requirement of oxygen will be around 25 metric tonnes including the non-Covid patients.

Stating that more 433 Covid-19 positive persons were on oxygen support, Sarma said the government was trying to procure oxygen tanks from Bengal and Jharkhand fearing possible shortage of supply given the rise in number of Covid-19 positive cases in Assam.

The Covid-19 positive cases in the state reached 1,09,040 with detection of 3,266 fresh cases on Monday. Of these, 24, 804 are still active cases and are being taken care of in hospitals and Covid care centres. Most of the fresh cases have been reported from Kamrup Metro (Guwahati), Golaghat, Cachar and Jorhat districts.

Deaths due to Covid-19 related issues increased to 306 on Monday.

Alerting about the challenge before healthcare workers in case of shortage in oxygen supply, Sarma stressed on measures to prevent Covid-19 infection such as wearing mask, social distancing and using sanitisers. "It is unfortunate that many people in Guwahati and elsewhere still don't use masks and are seen moving around without adhering to the safety measures. This can turn dangerous and put a huge pressure on our Covid care systems in place," Sarma said.