Covid19 – Delhi is gasping for breath, Oxygen Shortage, 2021

The last few days have seen SOS appeals for oxygen by hospitals and individuals alike, from all over India dominating the news headlines as well as social media platforms, as Covid-19 daily cases rapidly spiked to nearly 350,000. As the cases mounted, hospitals in several cities ran out of oxygen, leading to more than 200 deaths all over India. Most oxygen distributors shut down outlets and long queues formed outside the remaining few that were still open, with dozens of trucks carrying supplies for hospitals as well as family members of patients in dire need of the vital gas. Truckers as well as individuals often end up waiting for more than a day as the supplies to refill plants are scanty. A report from New Delhi on how the severe shortage of oxygen has left the national capital fighting for breath.