India's oxygen crisis: What needs to be done India's oxygen crisis: What needs to be done From installing new oxygen storage tanks at major hospitals to better regulating the existing flow of the precious commodity, experts tell us what needs to be done in the next few days advertisement UPDATED: May 10, 2021 09:12 IST COVID patients on oxygen support wait outside a hospital for admission, in Jammu, May 6 (PTI) As the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to overwhelm India’s medical system, no resource has emerged as precious or in as short supply as medical oxygen. India has now recorded over 300,000 Covid-19 cases for over a fortnight in a row. An estimated 17 per cent of all persons hospitalised with Covid-19 symptoms require medical oxygen, with Government data released on May 8 saying more than 137,000 people across India are on oxygen support. This is more than three times the number of those needing oxygen in the first wave.