Tamil Nadu Covid Crisis: Just 2 Oxygen Beds Available In Chennai, People Forced To Suffer In Ambulances

The increasing number of COVID-positive patients and scarcity of oxygen supply have worsened the situation in the states of Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Death toll have also significantly surged in these states.

(Representative Image/Getty)

Chennai: The rapid spread of the new strain of coronavirus is affecting a huge number of people in the country claiming more lives day by day and the oxygen crisis has worsened the situation with an increasing death toll.

Tamil Nadu along with Delhi, and Karnataka are the states most affected by second wave of Covid-19, which has resulted in severe shortage of oxygen across the country. The scarcity has left ailing Corona patients to suffer without oxygen beds.

The total number of COVID -19 beds with oxygen facility in Tamil Nadu as marked on Tuesday were 33,272 out of which only 3,335 beds are said to be vacant. There are mere 509 ICU beds available out of 8,325. Even there is also a paucity of normal beds as 8,022 beds out of 26,536 are accessible.

Out of the total 2,323 oxygen beds in 5 Medical College Hospitals in Chennai, only 2 beds are available. Check details below:

King's Hospital

Oxygen beds - 1/198
ICU with Oxygen beds - 0/102
Normal beds - 21/ 250

KMC Hospital

Oxygen beds - 0/170
ICU oxygen beds - 0/130
Normal beds - 11/200

Rajiv Gandhi Hospital

Oxygen beds - 0/845
ICU with oxygen beds - 0/385
Normal beds - 62/ 388

Omandurar Hospital

Oxygen beds - 0/437
ICU with oxygen beds - 0/190
Normal beds - 12/100

Stanley Hospital

Oxygen beds - 1/800
ICU with oxygen beds - 0/150
Normal beds - 51 / 1450

The shortage of beds in neighboring districts is forcing people to move to Chennai. Thus, the ambulances are stranded here. Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Kallakurichi, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, and Ranipettai districts are facing the unavailability of oxygen beds.

No bed is vacant in other districts like Salem, Thenkasi, Theni, Tirupattur, Thiruvarur, Villupuram, and Thiruvannamalai. ICU beds are reportedly available only in Kanyakumari, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Virudhunagar districts.

Earlier, it was reported that 13 patients had died due to lack of oxygen at Nellai Government Medical College Hospital. Following this, the distribution of oxygen produced at the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi started today and oxygen was sent to the hospital from the plant.