Oxygen mayhem: National capital continues to gasp for breath

Angry bystanders told ETV Bharat that they have been waiting for over 48 hours to get even one cylinder. Some even claimed to wait for more than 72 hours.

New Delhi:The oxygen shortage crisis in the national capital is giving relatives of Covid-19 patients a hard time as they are seen running pillar to post to procure oxygen cylinders.

Angry bystanders told ETV Bharat that they have been waiting for over 48 hours to get one cylinder. Some even claimed waiting for more than three days.

When ETV Bharat reached Bawana—a town in the North-West district of Delhi—thousands of people were waiting to get an oxygen cylinder.

"Now, the doctors are asking us to take our patients away because they don’t have enough oxygen to keep them in the emergency room. But we’re not even getting any ambulance with oxygen to transport her to some other facility," said a 35-year-old man who has been waiting in a long queue for the last 48 hours.

Several people waiting for their turn alleged that the vendors are providing cylinders to the private hospitals and those with connections are hoarding 10 to 12 cylinders.

Refuting the charges, Abhishek Gupta, an oxygen vendor said he is trying to fulfill the demands of the people but as the government has restricted the supply, some of them will have to return bare handed.

Several hospitals in Delhi continue to grapple with a shortage of oxygen, as coronavirus cases continue to spike.

On Sunday, 12 COVID-19 patients, including a senior doctor, died at Delhi's Batra Hospital after the facility ran out of medical oxygen. Delhi recorded 20,394 new COVID-19 cases and 407 deaths on Sunday.

As per the official data issued on Sunday, the total count of cases in the city has gone up to 11,94,946 including 92,290 active cases and 10,85,690 recoveries. The death toll has gone up to 16,966.