Delhi government has started arranging for oxygen cylinders as part of its preparations for a potential third wave of COVID-19, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday. As many as 6,000 new oxygen cylinders have already been imported from China, Kejriwal said, adding that no other such consignment has been brought from abroad during the entire COVID-19 period.
"These cylinders have been donated by HCL and Give India to the Delhi government. We thank the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in China for helping us import these cylinders," he said, reported ANI.
There are three oxygen cylinder deports in Delhi and each of these deport has been given 2,000 cylinders which were imported from China, Kejriwal said while visiting an oxygen plant in Mayapuri area. The chief minister said that the capacity of the oxygen plant has gone up to 55 metric tons.
Delhi recorded 1,550 fresh coronavirus cases, the lowest single-day tally since March 27, and 207 fatalities on Monday, while the positivity rate stood at 2.52 per cent, according to data shared by the health department.
The infection count was below the 2,000-mark for the second consecutive day and the lowest since March 27 when 1,558 cases were reported.
According to the latest health bulletin, the new fatalities pushed the death toll from COVID-19 to 23,409.
Kejriwal said there are around 500 cases of black fungus or mucormycosis in Delhi and the city has been grappling with a shortage of Amphotericin-B injection used in its treatment.
"We have set up dedicated centres for the treatment of black fungus at Lok Nayak Hospital, GTB Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital but we do not have drugs.... We did not get the injections on Sunday," he said.
Four to five injections per patient per day are used in the treatment of the fungal infection. There are around 500 cases of black fungus in Delhi at present, Kejriwal said, adding Delhi has been receiving around 400 to 500 injections per day.
(With inputs from PTI)