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COVID-19 India News

Over 7,115 MT of oxygen delivered by Railways

Oxygen Expresses have delivered more than 3,900 MT of LMO in the NCR region so far for further distribution…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian Railways on Thursday said that its Oxygen Expresses have delivered more than 7,115 MT of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to several states.

Railway Ministry spokesperson D.J. Narain said: “Railways is continuing its journey of bringing relief by delivering LMO to various states across the country. So far, Indian Railways has delivered nearly 7,115 MT of LMO in more than 444 tankers to various states across the country.”

On Wednesday, the national transporter has delivered nearly 800 MT of LMO, he said, adding that 15 Oxygen Expresses have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various states.

Indian railway’s Oxygen Expresses(Twitter)

Narain said that 407 MT has been offloaded in Maharashtra, nearly 1,960 MT in UP, 361 MT in Madhya Pradesh, 1,135 MT in Haryana, 188 MT in Telangana, 72 MT in Rajasthan, 120 MT in Karnataka and more than 2,748 MT in Delhi.

He said that Tamil Nadu is set to receive its first Oxygen Express later on Thursday with 80 MT of LMO arriving from Durgapur.

Oxygen Expresses have delivered more than 3,900 MT of LMO in the NCR region so far for further distribution.

ALSO READ: Railways delivers 4,200 MT oxygen to 6 states

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Modi reviews availability of oxygen, medicines

He was informed that the government is in regular touch with the manufacturers to enhance production of medicines and extend all help needed…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review availability and supply of oxygen and medicines to tackle Covid.

He was informed that the government is in regular touch with the manufacturers to enhance production of medicines and extend all help needed.

The Prime Minister was told that the government is actively monitoring the supply of drugs being used in the management of Covid as well as mucormycosis. He was also informed about the current production and stock of APIs for each such drug and that states are being provided medicines in good quantities.

The Prime Minister was also apprised that the production of all drugs including Remdesivir have been ramped up significantly in the last few weeks.

“India has a very vibrant pharma sector and the government’s continued close coordination with them will ensure proper availability of all medicines,” the Prime Minister said.

Oxygen cylinders

He also took stock of the situation on oxygen availability and supply in the country.

It was noted that the supply of oxygen is now more than three times the supply during the peak of the first wave.

The Prime Minister was briefed about the operations of Oxygen Expresses and sorties by IAF planes. He was also informed about the status of procurement of oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders as well as the status of PSA plants being installed across the country.

He also remarked that states should be asked to operationalise ventilators in a time-bound manner and resolve technical and training issues with the help of the manufacturers.

ALSO READ:Stalin asks Modi to allocate 500-ton medical oxygen

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‘Basic Right to Breathe’

British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal will raise funds for oxygen concentrators, and together with local partners in India, will rapidly deploy them to the hospitals and patients that need them most …. A comment by Soumik Saha

Nations all over the world have stood by India’s side in its darkest hour. While the US, the UK, and the EU have already supplied medical support, liquid oxygen has been procured from Singapore and the UAE. Words of help and support have reached even from Pakistan. 

The British Asian Trust, a Prince of Wales’ Charity, launched an emergency appeal ‘Oxygen for India’ to aid the deepening Covid-19 crisis in India.

British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal will raise funds for oxygen concentrators, and together with local partners in India, will rapidly deploy them to the hospitals and patients that need them most. 

Hitan Mehta, Executive Director, British Asian Trust says: “The astronomical numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths in India are frightening and we fear there is still a peak to come. What we can do now is provide essential support as quickly as possible to help those most in need. Our ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal has been set up to provide vital supplies and equipment to save lives. We simply cannot stand by and do nothing.”

All funds raised by the ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal will go towards providing as many oxygen concentrators to hospitals as quickly as possible. Oxygen concentrators are alternate devices to oxygen cylinders – while cylinders contain a finite amount of oxygen supply, a concentrator continually recycles oxygen from the air and delivers it to the patient.

Actor and British Asian Trust ambassador Nitin Ganatra shared his thoughts on Twitter: “Devastating scenes in India where people are dying in the streets due to Covid-19, please take a look at the British Asian Trust’s emergency appeal. Please share. #OxygenForIndia Please give generously.”

A donation of £50 will provide oxygen for 40 patients struggling to breathe, £450 will provide a low-flow oxygen concentrator to help 900 patients and an £830 donation will provide a high-flow oxygen concentrator to help 550 of the most seriously ill patients.

Manish Tiwari, Managing Director, Here & Now 365 said: “This is a vital appeal to provide emergency support to those in India suffering the most during one of the worst periods of the pandemic. Working alongside Sunrise Radio and NDTV 24×7 we hope to raise as much awareness and funds as possible to support the British Asian Trust’s Oxygen for India appeal.”

The Oxygen for India emergency appeal is being supported by the British International Doctor’s Association (BIDA) who has partnered with the British Asian Trust to help raise funds, with a target of raising £100,000.

Who is to be blamed for this man-made disaster? The forewarnings were overlooked in the Election frenzy that had already engulfed the five contesting States by then. Even the basic Covid19 rules disappeared in the hysteria of competitive political rallies. Hundreds of thousands, gathered to be seduced by the pompous orations of their leaders without masks and social distancing protocols went for a toss. 

The first case of coronavirus in India was detected in January 2020 and the country went into lockdown on the 25th of March 2021. More than a year later, people are dying in and out of hospitals due to a lack of oxygen. More than a couple of hundred such cases have been reported from various parts of Delhi and Mumbai where people have just died gasping for oxygen when loved ones cried and screamed for help. The numbers are growing.

As quoted by human rights activist Hina Jilani (at a remembrance convention organised on Saturday by journalist Ashis Ray), Ibn Abdur Rehman once said: “Have faith in your struggle, success is just a bonus.” India pins her faith on hope and struggles now for a whiff of oxygen and awaits its bonus in life and freedom. 

Who is to be blamed?

Who is to be blamed for this man-made disaster? Elections in India, which has been a major factor in invoking the apocalyptic second wave, finally concluded on Thursday, April 29, 2021, with the last phase of polling in West Bengal coming to an end.   In the evening, when most news channels were busy broadcasting exit polls data, India touched a new record of over 379, 308 fresh cases of coronavirus and 3,645 deaths. The ninth day in a row when the country recorded a world record of over three hundred thousand cases.  These are however official figures, which according to observers on the ground are far from reality where the numbers are manifold. 

The first signs of the second wave were visible in March 2021, when daily cases started spiking after a considerable flat span through January and February. While the 7-day average in the first week of February 2021, lingered somewhere around eleven thousand, by mid-March 2021 the figure had already spiked to over fifty-nine thousand. 

The forewarnings were overlooked in the Election frenzy that had already engulfed the five contesting States by then. Even the basic Covid19 rules disappeared in the hysteria of competitive political rallies. Hundreds of thousands, gathered to be seduced by the pompous orations of their leaders without masks and social distancing protocols went for a toss. 

UAE’s special cargo of medical aid arrives in India(Twitter)

Through March and most of April 2021, political leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mamta Banerjee basked in boastful glory of sumptuous gatherings at their rallies in West Bengal, until they were banned a week ago on April 22, 2021. However, most of the damage was done by then.

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