Twenty COVID-19 patients admitted at a hospital in the Indian capital died due to a shortage of oxygen, officials said Saturday.The deaths took place at a private health institute, Jaipur Golden Hospital, in Delhi.▲ Workers use a bed to transport empty oxygen cylinders to a filling station at a COVID-19 hospital, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Ahmedabad, India, April 19, 2021. Photo/Agencies'We had been allotted 3.5 metric tons of oxygen from the government. The supply was to reach us by 5:00 (local time) in the evening yesterday but it reached around midnight. By then, 20 patients had died,' D K Baluja, medical director at Jaipur Golden Hospital, said.
According to Baluja, these patients were critically ill and the deaths happened in the critical care area.'Yes, the oxygen pressure was down for some time. They didn't die during that period exactly, it takes 10 minutes here and there, but the pressure was definitely low. They are generally on a very high load of oxygen so that is the reason,' Baluja said. 'A normal patient would have coped. Those with high requirements couldn't cope with the deficiency.'Baluja said at least 215 COVID-19 patients admitted at the hospital were critical and in dire need of oxygen.The deaths have highlighted the worsening situation in the national capital's hospitals, which have been showing an urgent need for oxygen.On Friday, 25 critical patients admitted at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi died under similar circumstances.India is presently witnessing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across India have been reporting a shortage of oxygen supply and urged the federal government to replenish their stocks.Click here for audio and translation of the story
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