The oxygen crisis that resulted in the death of thousands of Covid patients in the second wave is waning in the country.
Liquid medical oxygen (LMO) supplied to hospitals over the last three days showed a decline for the first time in almost a month, the Indian Express reported citing data maintained by an empowered group of officers tasked with the supply of the lifesaving gas.
Oxygen supplied to hospitals hit a peak of 8,944 metric tonnes (MT) per day on May 9 and dropped to about 8,100 MT a day on May 18-19. However, it has again risen marginally to 8,334 MT a day on May 20.
When Covid cases started rising, demand for LMO increased manifold. It crossed the 8,000 MT per day mark on April 30 and continued to rise further in the first week of May.
While the quantity supplied has dropped, it is still much higher than the demand recorded during the first wave of Covid-19 in 2020.