Covid Testing: 'CT-Scan Is Equivalent To 300 Chest X-Rays, It's Very Harmful,' AIIMS Chief Warns Over Misuse

“To increase availability of oxygen, we are working on converting nitrogen plants into oxygen plants. We have identified 14 industries with PSA nitrogen plants, 37 plants have also been identified,” Agarwal said.

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New Delhi: With the oxygen crisis posing a big challenge in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, the government on Monday said it is exploring the feasibility of converting existing nitrogen plants to produce oxygen.

Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said “1,500 PSA oxygen generation plants are being developed”.

“To increase availability of oxygen, we are working on converting nitrogen plants into oxygen plants. We have identified 14 industries with PSA nitrogen plants, 37 plants have also been identified,” Agarwal said.

“We are planning to use gaseous oxygen for medical purposes. Industrial units that make oxygen which is suitable for medical purpose and are near cities. We are planning to make temporary Covid care centers with oxygenated beds around them,” he added.

The Joint Secretary informed that some states, including Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, are showing early signs of plateauing/decrease in the daily new cases.

READ: Reports Alleging No Fresh Order Has Been Placed For Covid-19 Vaccines Are ‘Incorrect’: Health Ministry

He, however, expressed concern over some states showing increasing trends in novel coronavirus cases and asked them to take required precautionary measures.

“Some states are showing increasing trends in Covid cases, these states should take required precautionary measures. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Haryana, Karnataka Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya are among those states,” Agarwal said.

The Joint Secretary further said there is a “positive approach in recoveries” too.

“On May 2, the recovery rate was at 78% and on May 3, it climbed up to almost 82%. These are early gains on which we have to work on regularly,” he added.

Meanwhile, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr. Randeep Guleria said the “CT-Scan and biomarkers are being misused”.

“There is no advantage in doing CT-Scan if you have mild symptoms. One CT-Scan is equivalent to 300 chest x-rays, it's very harmful,” he added.

The Health Ministry’s briefing comes as 3,68,147 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours.

Ten states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, reported 73.78% of the new cases.

Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 56,647 followed by Karnataka with 37,733 while Kerala reported 31,959 new cases.