New Delhi: Patients queueing up outside hospitals for medical oxygen was one of the most defining images of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the country reeled under a shortage of the life-saving gas earlier this year, people tried to learn how to make medical oxygen at home — by watching videos on social media.


According to Google, "how to make oxygen at home" was among the top 10 searches of 2021 in the "How to" category. This year, most of the searches were dominated by topics related to Covid-19 and registering for vaccines.


'How to register for Covid vaccine' topped the list, while 'how to download vaccination certificate' was the second most searched topic.


READ | No Deaths Due To Lack Of Oxygen Reported By States, UTs During Second Covid Wave: Centre In RS


The government rolled out the Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16, with healthcare workers getting inoculated in the first phase. People have to register on the CoWIN site or via the Aarogya Setu app to book a vaccination slot.  


'How to increase oxygen level' and 'how to make oxygen at home' were the third and fifth most searched topics this year amid an unprecedented surge in demand for medical oxygen.


In several states, especially Delhi, hospitals sent SOS messages about medical oxygen running out. Images of relatives of patients lining up outside oxygen refilling centres flashed on news channels.


Amid the crisis, videos detailing 'how to make oxygen at home' flooded social media and YouTube, with several experts calling them "misleading, untested and unreliable".


The search for 'how to make oxygen at home' peaked on Google Trends on April 23, Reuters reported.


"There is a scientifically proven method to produce medical oxygen through concentrators. Any other means to try making the gas at home involves many risks like chances of toxic gasses being inhaled and explosions," Reuters quoted A Ravikumar, secretary of the Indian Medical Association for Tamil Nadu, as saying.


Interest in cryptocurrency among Indians was also visible as 'how to buy dogecoin in India' and 'how to invest in Bitcoin' also made it to the top 10 list. People were also interested in learning 'how to link PAN and Aadhaar'.


Top 10 'How To' Searches of 2021 In India:


1. How to register for COVID vaccine
2. How to download vaccination certificate
3. How to increase oxygen level
4. How to link PAN with AADHAAR
5. How to make oxygen at home
6. How to buy dogecoin in India
7. How to make banana bread
8. How to check IPO allotment status
9. How to invest in bitcoin
10. How to calculate percentage of marks