Africa Is Running Out Of Oxygen

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/06/24/ [login to see] /africa-is-running-out-of-oxygen
Hospital wards across Uganda are filling with COVID-19 patients as the country faces an aggressive surge in cases. One of the biggest issues have: a serious shortage of oxygen.

Over the last month, the number of daily reported infections has increased tenfold, showing no signs of letting up. Cases have jumped from less than 100 a day in mid-May to 1,584 on June 18. "ICU bed capacity is now full, almost at 100%," says Willy Tabu, a physician based in Kampala who helps coordinate Mercy Corps response to the pandemic.

And it's not only beds that are a concern. Tabu says severely ill COVID-19 patients need oxygen, but the supply just isn't there.

Oxygen is being produced. Uganda's 14 largest federal hospitals each have oxygen generating plants and they provide cylinders to smaller hospitals and clinics. But they are struggling to meet the increased demand. There's also a shortage of cylinders to go around, says Tabu — meaning the oxygen plants have to ship the ones they have back and forth to be refilled, and that doesn't happen quickly.