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Pinarayi Vijayan writes to PM Modi, asks for more oxygen, vaccines amid Covid-19 spike
Kerala is at the third spot after Maharashtra and Karnataka in terms of the total number of active Covid-19 cases. On Tuesday, the state had reported 37,190 new cases and 57 deaths. Though the fatality rate is low in the state (below 0.4%) statistics show it is steadily climbing.
With Covid-19 cases surging and hospitals overflowing with patients in Kerala, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking additional liquid medical oxygen cylinders and vaccines.
In terms of total cases of the viral infection, Kerala is at the third spot after Maharashtra and Karnataka. On Tuesday, the state had reported 37,190 new cases and 57 deaths. Though the fatality rate is low in the state (below 0.4) statistics show it is steadily climbing.
In the letter to the Prime Minister, the CM the said medical oxygen storage in the state should be augmented urgently as there is an increased demand for the life-saving gas. “To augment storage we need 1000 tonnes of imported liquid medical oxygen. The Ministry of External Affairs may be advised to allot the required quantity partly from the current tranche of imports and balance from future imports,” he said.
He also asked the PM to provide more oxygen concentrators, ventilators and other equipment on priority basis considering the high volume of cases. The state has so far vaccinated 74 lakh people, almost 20 per cent of its 3.25 crore population. The Union Health Ministry had recently lauded the state’s zero wastage of vaccine while in some states it is between 5 and 18 per cent. Vijayan has also requested the PM to send more vaccines-- about 50 lakh doses of Covishield and 25 lakh Covaxin doses.
Currently, the state has a stock of 272.2 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen and 8.97 mt of medical oxygen. In the current scenario, Kerala needs 108 mt of oxygen daily, health ministry statistics show.
What is really of concern for the state is that the number of patients who need oxygen is rising alarmingly. In some of the worst-affected districts like Kozhikode and Ernakulam, most government hospitals are filled to capacity. Kerala had managed the first wave of coronavirus infections well; however, the ground situation shows the second wave has put tremendous strain on its overworked and overstretched healthcare infrastructure.
