As many states in the country continue to struggle with oxygen scarcity, the govt of Kerala has said it has a reserve of 510 MT of life-saving gas at production centres post-delivery. The government is now considering the possibilities of increasing the reserve stock upto 1000 MT to meet any adverse situations, authorities said.

Health Minister KK Shailaja said,  ''At present, 220 metric tonnes (MT) of medical oxygen is available in government hospitals. Around 100 MT of oxygen is required for COVID and non-COVID treatments. After distribution, we have around 510 MT oxygen as reserve at production centred now,''  Looking to grim situation, it has been decided to set up audit committees in the state, district and hospital levels for the effective utilisation of the available oxygen in the state, she said.

As  the number of COVID-19 cases crossing the 30,000 mark in the southern state, Health Minister K K Shailaja convened a special high-level meeting on Tuesday to review the availability of oxygen.

The meeting also discussed the possibilities of increasing the reserve capacity to 1000 MT to fight any sorts of emergencies. District collectors apprised of the requirements of oxygen based on the treatment facilities being set up in their concerned districts.

In the highest single-day surge so far, Kerala recorded 32,819 cases, including 86 health workers, as the active cases soared to over 2.47 lakh on Tuesday.

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