The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday called on state ministries of health to stockpile medical oxygen supplies to contain a significant surge in COVID-19 infections being witnessed across the country
NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2022) The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday called on state ministries of health to stockpile medical oxygen supplies to contain a significant surge in COVID-19 infections being witnessed across the country.
Since the beginning of January, the number of active COVID-19 cases in India has increased more than 13 times to over 955,000. The exponential infection surge is likely caused by the Omicron variant. Exact data is still unclear, given the delays in genome sequencing. Doctors also stressed that the Delta variant still circulates in India.
"The emerging scenario calls for immediate measures by State/UTs (union territories) to ensure optimal availability of medical oxygen at all concerned health facilities," Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a letter to the Indian states' health ministries, as quoted by Indian news agency ANI.
The official also said that all top-level medical institutions should have life-support equipment, including artificial lung ventilation devices, BiPAP (non-invasive ventilation), SpO2 (supplemental oxygen delivery systems) and appropriate expendable materials in sufficient quantities to meet potential needs.
India remains the second country after the United States with the highest number of COVID-19 infections. India has detected 36,070,510 COVID-19 cases with 34,630,536 people recovered and 484,655 dead.
