NewDelhi: Medical oxygen shortage in the country is acute following the outbreak of Covid. In states where the spread of the disease is severe, the price of oxygen cylinders has tripled. Medical oxygen consumption has more than doubled in the past week. Consumption of medical oxygen has increased from 750 tons per day to 2700 tons per day. States like Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh are facing a severe shortage of medical oxygen.

In Mumbai, the price of jumbo oxygen cylinders has gone up from Rs 250 to Rs 900. Similarly, there has been a sharp rise in prices in other states as well. The central government has taken steps to import 50,000 metric tonnes of medical oxygen to address the oxygen shortage.

The moves are being made jointly by the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs. At the request of the Government of Maharashtra, it was decided to carry liquid medical oxygen cryogenic tankers on trains. Remdecivir and covid vaccine are also in short supply.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to make Covid vaccines available to the public. Naveen Patnaik said in the letter that not getting the required number of vaccines was a serious challenge.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu closed the inter-roads on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari border. The move by the Tamil Nadu government comes at a time when the spread of Covid is rampant. Police checks at the border have been tightened.
E-pass has been made compulsory for those coming to Tamil Nadu from Kerala. You need to register on the Covid Jagratha portal to buy an e-pass. Samples of those arriving at the border will be subjected to Covid testing. Passengers do not have to wait until the test results are received. Passengers can leave with the address and phone number along with the sample. The test result is sent to the phone.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that it is time to end the Kumbh Mela. The Prime Minister’s call comes in the wake of the Covid expansion.

The Prime Minister directed that the Kumbh Mela be held symbolically. He said the decision to end the Kumbh Mela would be a model for the country in the event of a Covid outbreak. The Prime Minister’s response was via Twitter.

Covid confirmed to more than a thousand people who attended the Kumbh Mela that a monk had died. In the wake of this, a section of the monastic community came to the scene and made it clear that they were ready to reduce the Kumbh Mela. But the Uttarakhand government has made it clear that the Kumbh Mela will continue. 

Chennai: Tamil actor Vivek (59) has passed away. He was treated at a private hospital in Chennai. He died this morning. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday following a heart attack.

Vivek was admitted to a government hospital in Chennai on Thursday. However, hospital officials had earlier said that there was no link between the actor’s heart attack and vaccination.

Vivek is one of the most popular Tamil comedians. He has acted in more than 200 films including Khushi, Run, Sami, Shivaji, and Anyan. The last film is Dharala Prabhu which was released last year. In 2009, the country honored him with the Padma Shri. He has won the Tamil Nadu Government’s Best Comedian Award five times.

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsha Vardhan has said that the country is ready to face the second wave of Covid. He said the only challenge was the increasing number of Covid cases. The number of Covid patients in India on Friday is over two lakh every day. Covid confirmed 2,17,353 people in 24 hours. The death toll of 1,185 has been confirmed to be due to Covid. Currently, 15,69,743 people are in treatment.

States are tightening restrictions in the wake of the Covid expansion. Night curfew announced in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab. The weekend curfew in Delhi will begin on Saturday. Control will continue in public places.

Lucknow: A lockdown was announced on Sunday in Uttar Pradesh, where Covid spread is rampant. The government also ordered a fine of Rs 1,000 for those who go out without wearing a mask. Those who are caught first without wearing a mask will be fined Rs 1,000 and those who repeat the mistake will be fined Rs 10,000.

The government made it clear in the order that only essential services would be allowed on Sunday. The night curfew announced in ten districts will continue.

The government had yesterday decided to close schools in the state till May 15. The board has also decided to postpone the exams.

Covid confirmed 22,439 people in UP yesterday. On Wednesday, more than 20,000 people were diagnosed with the disease.