More than 30 countries could face oxygen crises similar to India amid COVID-19 surges As COVID-19 cases surge in many countries, several could face oxygen shortages similar to India's. The "key indicator" of a looming crisis is often not how much oxygen is needed at the moment, but how swiftly demand is rising, All told, data collected by the Bureaushows that more than 30 countries, including Fiji, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Angola, and Kyrgyzstan, now need at least twice as much oxygen â one of the most crucial treatments for severe COVID-19 infections â as they did two months ago. Bureau the trend could lead to the "total collapse of health systems" in lower- to middle-income countries. Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar could be particularly vulnerable because they rely on Indian-made oxygen and equipment. "You'd imagine if they start to see peaks [in infections] of the same degree [as India], then it could be even worse, because India needs all the [oxygen] supply," said Zachary Katz, the vice president of essential medicines at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Read more at