The Delhi High Court on Saturday asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected COVID-19 second wave peak in mid-May, terming the massive rise in cases as a tsunami , and warned it will hang any person who tries to obstruct oxygen supplies to hospitals here. Talking tough, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, said this during a special hearing on a holiday on the issue of mounting oxygen crisis in various hospitals in Delhi. The court said the viral disease has a low mortality and those who have a low immunity will eventually die but the problem comes when people who could be saved are also dying. The mortality rate needs to be reduced.
People unload an oxygen cylinder in Delhi. | PTI
The Delhi High Court on Saturday said it would “hang” any official found obstructing the pick up or supply of oxygen, PTI reported. The court was hearing a petition filed by Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in the national Capital concerning shortage of oxygen at the facility for coronavirus patients.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli asked the Delhi central government to inform them about officials who were obstructing the supply and said, “We will not spare anyone.”
Earlier in the hearing, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital submitted that they had over 100 patients under critical care and needed oxygen immediately. The hospital said it would have to discharge patients if it did not get more oxygen.
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Highlights
Kejriwal said that due to record rise in daily coronavirus cases, the oxygen provided by the Centre is proving “inadequate”. Many Delhi hospitals have run out of oxygen, the Delhi CM said.
The positivity rate reached 32.43 per cent on Friday.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday (April 24) urged Chief Ministers of all states to provide spare oxygen to the national capital amid acute shortage of life-saving gas.
In his letter, the AAP supremo requested his counterparts to treat his message as SOS. Kejriwal also informed due to record rise in daily coronavirus cases, the oxygen provided by the Centre is proving “inadequate”.
Representative image
NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday ramped up its efforts to get oxygen to hospitals using special Oxygen Express trains, air force planes and trucks to transport tankers in view of rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds. Fresh cases once again touched a new peak of 3.46 lakh in a single day in India while deaths hit a grim new record of 2,600 on Friday.
Indian Air Force brings 4 cryogenic oxygen containers from Singapore
The Indian Air Force on Saturday picked up from Singapore four cryogenic containers for storage of liquid oxygen. The containers were airlifted from Singapore by C17 heavy-lift aircraft of the IAF.