The recent data released by the government shows that the top five states which account for 54% of the total active cases in the country get only 42% of Liquid Medical Oxygen allocated by the Centre to 33 states and Union Territories.
The Centre’s allocation order shows that the combined allocation by the Centre to the states and Union Territories has crossed the 10,000 metric tonnes per day mark.
What does the Govt data show ?
The data, maintained by the Empowered Group-2 tasked with ensuring oxygen supply, shows that the combined allocation for 33 states and UTs stood at 10,140 MT/day on May 8 while this figure was 8,280 MT/day on April 24 and the number of states on the list was only 22. However, the allocation has seen a 22% increase in just two weeks.
The data shows that the top five states with a combined 20.12 lakh of the 37.15 lakh active cases across the country as on May 11 —Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan—have been allocated only 4,306 MT/day of the total allocation of 10,140 MT/day.
According to the May 8 order, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are among the top five states in terms of allocation, including Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, with a total of 5,326 MT/day. This grouping accounts for 44 per cent—16.36 lakh—of the nationwide active case count on May 11.
The data shows that the 11 new states and UTs on the list since April 24 are Odisha, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Ladakh and the seven Northeastern states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
Among the top five states, Karnataka’s allocation has jumped 27 per cent—from 802 MT/day on April 24 to 1,015 MT per day on May 8. However, the four other states have not seen any significant change in allocation.
Delhi, which has been seeking 700 MT/day, has been allocated 590 MT/day. Both Delhi and Karnataka, have approached the court with appeals to increase their oxygen allocation.
In percentage terms, Kerala (125 per cent), Tamil Nadu (90 per cent), Punjab (66 per cent), Haryana (65 per cent), West Bengal (56 per cent), Rajasthan (49 per cent) and Uttarakhand (49 per cent) have registered a sharp rise in allocation when compared to two weeks ago.
Among the new states, the seven Northeastern states have been given a combined allocation of 67 MT/day while Jharkhand and Odisha have been allocated 120 MT/day and 200 MT/day, respectively.
What is the current status of medical oxygen in the country ?
The demand for medical oxygen has seen a sharp jump in recent days amid the second wave. The Centre’s May 8 order data shows nearly 50,000 Covid patients in the country were in intensive care units, while more than 14,500 are on ventilator support. More than 1.37 lakh patients were on oxygen support.
This is much higher than the figure reported during the first wave in September, when about 23,000 patients were in ICUs, less than 4,000 of them on ventilators, and around 40,000 required oxygen support.
How much increase has reported in oxygen sell ?
The sale of the medical oxygen has increased multifold since March. the government said Monday that the maximum sale of 3,095 MT/day of oxygen was seen on September 29, 2020. The oxygen sale grew more than five-fold from 1,559 MT/day on March 31, 2021, to over 8,000 MT mark by May 3, 2021.
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