Delhi Hospitals Facing Oxygen Crisis, National Capital Reports 28,395 Covid-19 Cases, 277 Deaths In Highest Single-Day Spike

Two of Delhi's top hospitals, Max Hospital & Ganga Ram, have reported that their oxygen supplies will last for just a few hours, reported NDTV on April 20 evening. Max hospital told NDTV that its supplies have been disrupted and it has only six to 12 hours worth of oxygen left. Authorities at Sir Ganga Ram hospital said their supplies will run for around eight hours. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain flagged a huge oxygen shortage at another key hospital in the city on April 20 evening. Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, run by the Delhi government, has supplies for only four hours, the minister said. Around 1:30 am on April 21, one oxygen tanker reached the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital just in time. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier tweeted, “Serious oxygen crisis persists in Delhi”. The oxygen crunch issue has reached the Delhi High Court, which pulled up the Centre on April 20, questioning why it was waiting till April 22 to bar oxygen use for industrial use & divert it for Covid-19 patients. Senior Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “India is gasping for oxygen. Thanks to GOI’s incompetency & complacency”. Delhi on April 20 reported 28,395 coronavirus cases as it registered its biggest ever single-day spike. The city, worst-hit by the rapid second wave of infections, logged 277 deaths in a day. The national capital's active caseload has jumped to nearly 85,600.