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Sudden surge in Covid-19 cases led to shortage of beds: UP health minister
Speaking to news agency ANI, UP health minister Jai Pratap Singh also said that the issue of supply of oxygen and drug Remdesivir was raised with Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. “Currently we need 200 metric tonnes (MT) oxygen and 235 MT more by April 30,” said Singh.
Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a massive surge in the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, which has put a stress on the state's health infrastructure. Uttar Pradesh health minister Jai Pratap Singh said on Sunday that this sudden increase in cases during the second wave of Covid-19 has led to a shortage of beds.
Speaking to news agency ANI, he also said that the issue of supply of oxygen and drug Remdesivir was raised with Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. “Currently we need 200 metric tonnes (MT) oxygen and 235 MT more by April 30,” said Singh.
The Union health ministry has already sanctioned one Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plant for installation in Uttar Pradesh to address the shortage. News agency PTI reported on Saturday that 10 more oxygen plants will be set up across the state with the help of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Earlier, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla and Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday chaired a meeting with the chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh and Chattisgarh where it was assured the demand of shortage of oxygen will be taken care of.
Uttar Pradesh has so far reported 821,054 cases and 9,703 deaths due to the Covid-19 disease, according to the state health department’s bulletin. More than 641,000 have recovered and the active cases have climbed to 170,059, the bulletin showed. Uttar Pradesh, along with Maharashtra and Chattisgarh, is among the badly-affected states from the pandemic across the country, according to the Union health ministry.
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On Saturday, UP reported the highest single-day jump in deaths at 120 while the new cases stayed above the 27,000-mark (27,357 to be exact) for the second consecutive day. On Friday, 27,426 people were detected positive for the disease, the highest single-day spike since the beginning of the pandemic last year while 22,439 new cases were recorded on Thursday.
Of Saturday’s tally, state capital Lucknow added the highest number of cases at 5,913, followed by Allahabad (1977), Kanpur (1826) and Varanasi (1,664). Lucknow also topped the list of deaths on Saturday at 36.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government in UP has imposed lockdown on every Sunday till May 15 to curb the spread of the disease where only essential services will be permitted. Shops, Markets, offices and commercial establishments will be closed from Saturday 8pm till Monday 7am. Night curfew timings in nine districts including Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut have been extended by two hours and now will be 8pm and 7am.
