NEW DELHI: The government is planning to set up jumbo container based COVID-19 hospitals near industries which produce gaseous oxygen in order to increase the number of oxygen-supported beds amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Piyush Goyal said steel plants have raised the production of by-product liquid oxygen so that the demand for the essential public health commodity could be met.
New oxygen plants are being set up in different parts of the country while production capacity of existing plants have been increased, he said at a press conference.
"Jumbo container based COVID-19 hospitals using gaseous oxygen will be set up near industries which produce mainly gaseous oxygen. With this, oxygen beds can be increased as much as possible," Goyal said.
With a record single-day rise of 3,86,452 cases, India's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 1,87,62,976, while the number of active cases in the country has crossed 31 lakh, the health ministry said on Friday.
The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 2,08,330 with 3,498 more people succumbing to it.
Due to the sudden spike in coronavirus cases, there were reports of a shortage of hospital beds, ICUs and oxygen in some parts of the country, including Delhi.