NEW DELHI: As Delhi faces 'a serious oxygen crisis' for the fourth consecutive day, at least 25 severely sick Covid -19 patients have died at the capital's most prestigious Ganga Ram hospital between Thursday and Friday morning.
Several hospitals in Delhi have raised SOS on social media platforms as they were running dangerously low on medical oxygen and beds for Covid-19 patients.
As hospitals were forced to deny entry to new admissions, they began updating the number of hours or sometimes even minutes of oxygen supply that was left with them in social media tagging the Prime Minister's Office, the Delhi Chief Minister, and Union and Delhi Ministers.
Meanwhile, Delhi's CM Aravind Kejriwal pleaded for the Centre's intervention during a COVID-19 review meeting held by PM Narendra Modi with chief ministers of states that have reported a higher number of active Covid-19 cases.
Kejriwal also requested the Centre to take over all the oxygen plants through the Army and asked PM to direct chief ministers of all states to ensure seamless movement of oxygen tankers coming to the national capital.
"People are in major pain due to oxygen shortage. We fear a big tragedy may happen due to oxygen shortage and we will never be able to forgive ourselves. I request you with folded hands to direct all CMs to ensure the smooth movement of oxygen tankers coming to Delhi," he said at the Covid meet chaired by Modi.
"The oxygen supply scheduled to come to Delhi from Odisha and West Bengal should either be airlifted or brought through the Oxygen Express started by the Centre," Kejriwal added.
Delhi is the fourth state after Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh which has lined up for 'Oxygen Express' services operated to save COVID-19 patients gasping for breath in the city's hospitals.
Meanwhile, 20 COVID-19 patients die due to oxygen shortage at Delhi's Jaipur Golden Hospital late on Friday.
The Capital has logged 24,331 fresh COVID-19 cases and a record single-day jump of 348 deaths on Friday while the positivity rate stood at 32.